The article presents the description of measurement methodology of moisture transport in unsaturated porous materials using Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) technique on the example of measurement of capillary uptake phenomenon in the sample of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). In the paper there are presented basic principles of the TDR method as a technique applied in metrology, its potential for measurement of moisture in porous materials like soils and porous building materials. Second part of the article presents the experiment of capillary rise process in the sample of AAC. Within the experiment moisture content was monitored in the sample exposed on water influence. Monitoring was conducted using TDR FP/mts probes. Preparation of the measuring setup was presented in detail. The TDR readouts post-processing, graphical presentations of the obtained results, short discussion and comparison of TDR readouts to gravimetric measurement were also presented.
W artykule przedstawiono opis metodyki pomiaru transportu wilgoci w nienasyconych porowatych materiałach przy wykorzystaniu techniki Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) na przykładzie pomiarów zjawiska podciągania kapilarnego przez próbkę autoklawizowanego betonu komórkowego. Zaprezentowano podstawowe informacje na temat metody TDR jako techniki stosowanej w metrologii. Omówiono jej potencjał do pomiarów wilgoci w takich ośrodkach porowatych, jak gleby i porowate materiały budowlane. Druga część artykułu przedstawia eksperyment podciągania kapilarnego przez próbkę autoklawizowanego betonu komórkowego. W trakcie trwania eksperymentu monitorowano zmiany wilgotności w próbce wystawionej na oddziaływaniewody. Monitoring realizowano za pomocą sond TDR FP/mts. Rozdział "Materials and Methods" przedstawia szczegółowo przygotowanie stanowiska pomiarowego. W rozdziale "Results" podano odczyty miernika TDR przeliczone na wilgotność oraz zaprezentowano uzyskane wyniki w postaci graficznej. Zawarto w nim również krótką dyskusję wyników i porównanie odczytów TDR z pomiarami grawimetrycznymi.
 Sobczuk H, Plagge R. Time Domain Reflectometry Method in Environmental Measurements. Lublin: Monografie Komitetu Inżynierii Środowiska Polskiej Akademii Nauk, vol. 39; 2007.
 Andrews JR. Time Domain Reflectometry. Proceedings of the Symposium on Time Domain Reflectometry in Environmental, Infrastructure and Mining Applications. Evaston, Illinois: Sept 7-9, 1994:4-13.
 Nissen HH, Moldrup P. Theoretical background for the TDR methodology. P Report No. 11. Lyngby: Danish Institute of Plant and Soil Science; 1995:9-23.
 Sobczuk H, Suchorab Z. Calibration of TDR instruments for moisture measurement of serated concrete.
In: Skierucha W, Walczak T, editors. Monitoring and Modelling the Properties of Soil as Porous Medium.
Lublin: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences; 2005:156-165.
 Davis JL, Annan AP. Ground-penetrating radar for high-resolution mapping of soil and rock stratigraphy.
 Skierucha W, Malicki MA. TDR method for the measurement of water content and salinity of porous media.
Lublin: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences; 2004.
 De Loor GP. Dielectric properties of heterogeneous mixtures containing water. J. Microwave Pow. 1968;3(2):67-73.
 O'Connor KM, Dowding CH. Geomeasurements by Pulsing TDR Cables and Probes. CRC Press; 1999.
 Hejmovaara TJ, de Water E. A Computer Controlled TDR System for Measuring Water Content and Bulk Electrical Conductivity of Soils, Rep. 41. Amsterdam: Laboratory of Physical Geography and Soil Science, University of Amsterdam; 1993.
 Plagge R, Roth CH, Renger M. Dielectric soil water content determination using time-domain reflectometry (TDR), (Ed. A. Kraszewski), Proc. of Second Workshop on Electromagnetic Wave Interaction with Water and Moist Substances. San Francisco: IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society; 1996:59-62.
 Skierucha W, Wilczek A, Alokhina O. Calibration of a TDR probe for low soil water content measurements.
 Amato M, Ritchie JT. Small spatial scale soil water content measurement with time-domain reflectometry.


Fagor 12 Quart Halogen Infrared cooker is a great low price model of the most common design – Large glass bowl with the Halogen heater in the lid. A good range of accessories come as standard, including tongs, 5 quart extender ring, high and low racks, Lid Holder and a non stick fry pan-tray.
Overall an excellent kitchen appliance, cooking food well and as advertised, much quicker than conventional ovens.
There were as always one or two items received with faults, but only one fault was mentioned more than once. Of the feedback received from customers who bought this product, the lid handle which acts as a switch , turning the unit off as you lift the lid, was found to have broken on the 2 negative reviews. The vast majority gave this budget price cooker a 4 or 5 star rating for its function.
Watch Tony Scruggs ( Fox tv masterchef ) as he demonstrates all of the Halogen Oven functions , roasting, baking, steaming and frying using the Fagor Halogen.
It really is wonderful. I can cook in a meal in minutes instead of hours. I am handicapped so it is a pleasure to have this.
Love cooking in this. Makes the juiciest chicken and fish straight from frozen. This model, with the glass base, is so much easier to use and clean than the Nu-Wave version with the plastic dome.
We live in our RV in Florida not a place you want to light your oven to bake, this is a life saver, I can cook anything I would normally use my oven for and not heat up my RV.
I LOVE my fagor! I've had it for several months and use it at least twice – three times a week – sometimes more. I was very anxious to get this and this item works beautifully. I really like the fact it cooks something rock solid frozen. I've cooked chicken, pork chops, country ribs, meatloaf, egg rolls and pizza. Everything came out perfect.
The Fagor has standard features , is well manufactured and represents Very Good Value especially with all its included accessories. Highly Recommended 8/10 and with a very low price.
I too want to thank you for your review on which are the best halogen ovens. There are now so many so trying to decide which one to buy, and why, leaves your head spinning. You simplified the process and based on your reviews I purchased the red Fagor for a great price . I got my Brother the Big Boss (his decision not mine) based on reviews.
I have purchased, the blk. Favor! I love it, am disabled, and it helps me, tremendously! I have cooked, chicken, from frozen, ribs, frozen French chocolate, crescents, burgers, fries, baked potatoes, one thing have not tried yet, is to bake a cake, or box, mix! Bought mine, on TV, Evine years ago, when it was named either, Shop HQ,or, Shop, NBC, think only cost, approx. about, $39.00! Love the glass, and how can wash it right after use it, with the wash, app! Love it, hope to use, for long time! Also love, all things, it came with, to make, easy cooking, easier! I give it, a 100%!!!


text:
La Reine des Perles (Frans voor "De koningin der parels") is de naam van een bijzonder grote en fraaie ronde parel van 27.5 karaat die tot de Franse kroonjuwelen heeft behoord. De kroonjuwelen werden in 1792, tijdens de Franse Revolutie uit de Garde Meuble in Parijs gestolen en de parel verdween spoorloos.

Volgens de inventaris van de Franse kroonschat werd de parel in 1669 door Lodewijk XIV van Frankrijk aangekocht voor 40 000 livres. De verkoper was een handelaar, een zekere Bazu, die in de Oriënt had gereisd. In 1791 werd de waarde van deze parel op 200 000 livres geschat. De parel werd in een gouden doosje met het opschrift "La Reine des Perles" bewaard. Vandaar de overgeleverde naam.

George Kunz and Charles Stevenson opperen in "The Book of the Pearl" de mogelijkheid dat deze parel identiek is met de beroemde La Pelegrina van 111 1/2 grein oftewel 27.62 karaat. Wanneer dat juist is dan werd de parel bij het opmaken van de Franse inventaris niet juist gewogen.

Parel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Yearning for Yorkshire Pudding (A History of)
The pudding is a dish very difficult to be described, because of the several sorts there are of it: flour, milk, eggs, butter, sugar, suet, marrow, raising, etc are the most common ingredients...They make them fifty several ways: BLESSED BE HE THAT INVENTED PUDDING for it is a manna that hits the palates of all sorts of people... Ah what an excellent thing is an English pudding!' - Henry Misson "Misson's Memoirs and Observations in His Travels Over England"
All puddings started their lives as meat puddings. Mostly sausage-like concoctions similar black pudding. Even when we started wrapping food stuffs in cloth, and boiling them, they were heavy on meat, and some fruit and spices and even some sugar. How, from this we went to the Yorkshire pudding? A good question!
A kind of early boiled pudding called thryon is described by the ancient Greek grammarian and gastronome Pollux: lard, brains, eggs and cream cheese were beaten together, the mixture was wrapped in fig leaves (in the same way as puddings were tied in a cloth later) and boiled in chicken or kid broth, then untied and given a final cooking in boiling honey. (Julius Pollux was a Greek scholar and rhetorician from Naucratis*, Ancient Egypt. Emperor Commodus appointed him a professor-chair of rhetoric in Athens at the Academy — on account of his melodious voice, or at least that's what we know according to Philostratus' Lives of the Sophists. Pollux Died in 238 AD in Athens.)
Praise of course for cooking over fire! Any cooking; meat, vegetables, stews soups for that matter! Amazing skills from people who (still) do it!
Plus my recipe for Yorkshire puddings! Tasty fluffy morsels of deliciousness! Heh...! Hope you're going to make them!
It's been a while as I was very busy ...I had it all written down, but never had the chance to go to the studio and record it. So I decided to record this in my bedroom and in a hurry so apologies for the drop in audio quality of my recorded voice!
Thanks to Sebastien Froment for lending me his French voice and accent to record as the French 17th century traveller Henri Misson. (From "Misson's Memoirs and Observations in His Travels Over England")
Charles Lamb essay is from this little gem of a book :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dissertation-Upon-Roast-Other-Essays-ebook/dp/B004V2WR22
(Finally a credible explanation on how humankind started cooking over fire! Only kidding, I love the Chinese myth though!)
I've tried my best to read the Yorkshire saying "Them 'at eats t'most pudding gets t'most meat" without trying to pretend I'm from Yorkshire!
I appreciate it might sound wrong when i say "batter" it might sound like "butter" but for the purpose of this episode, mostly when I say "batter" I mean "batter" ie flour and liquid mix that needs cooking and not the dairy product! Ha!
Another point I thought might bring confusion is "Medieval Tansie" so what's that? Tansy is an edible flower/herb/plant whom the name can be traced back to the Latin athanasia, or immortality, from the Greek athanatos, meaning deathless, perhaps because the herb has been used to preserve bodies.
Tansy was used to flavour puddings, cakes, and eggs, and gave its name to a pancake flavoured with bitter herbs known as a "tansie," which was traditionally eaten in spring and associated with Easter. (One sixteenth-century authority noted that tansy was beneficial in purging the body of the excessive phlegm engendered by a Lenten diet of fish.)
Tansy was more often added to sweet than savoury dishes, although it is the flavouring agent in a traditional Irish blood pudding known as drisheen. Alan Davidson, in The Oxford Companion to Food, speculates that the amount of tansy used was relatively small, given its strong taste.
Some hopefully illuminating photos can be found here:
http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/T/Tansy/Tansy.htm
As always music is kindly composed & provided by Pavlos Kapralos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A
Expect the opening and closing theme tune, which is "Waltz Detunee" performed, recorded and mixed by Cloudcub: https://cloudcub.bandcamp.com/album/down-memory-lane-ep
Maltby & Greek link, for your 15% off of your next purchase please go here: maltbyandgreek.com/delicious
Many thanks and Happy listening!
Thom & The Delicious Legacy
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.
More from The Delicious Legacy
39:54An Interview with Pen Vogler - Breakfast Through the AgesJan 17, 2022
44:22The Twelve Days of Greek Christmas and other storiesDec 26, 2021
33:33A Universal History Of Pickles Part2Dec 19, 2021
31:37A Universal History of Pickles Part 1Dec 09, 2021
01:02:12Women, Beer and Cheese In Medieval EuropeNov 28, 2021
01:00:50The Cornwall Project - An Interview with Matt ChatfieldNov 08, 2021
46:55The History of Olive Oil Pt2Oct 28, 2021
38:52The History of the Magical Garos SauceSep 17, 2021
33:48Pork as medicine in the ancient and medieval worldAug 31, 2021

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kyle Abraham Settles in for Month-Long Residency at USC Kaufman
USC Kaufman Dean Julia Ritter and Choreographer Kyle Abraham.
The Dance Magazine Award honoree and MacArthur Fellow sits down with Dean Julia Ritter and students of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance to talk about his path to success.
Kyle Abraham's resume is the envy of many.
In 2019, on the heels of the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraham and his friend, the ballet superstar Misty Copeland, collaborated on a solo performance that challenged people's expectations of Copeland as a classically trained dancer and sold out its two performances at the Joyce Theatre's Fall for Dance festival. In September 2022, Abraham was named a Dance Magazine Award honoree, one of the field's most prestigious honors. And last December, he premiered his third original work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Are You in Your Feelings?, at New York City Center to wide fanfare and critical praise.
And that's just recent history. Never mind his MacArthur Genius and Princess Grace Awards, or his yearlong residency at the Joyce, or his one degree of separation with Beyoncé (he served as a choreographic contributor for the pop icon's 2013 British Vogue cover shoot).
Now, Abraham begins his first USC Kaufman residency here in Los Angeles after being named to the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professorship in Dance in April of 2021, succeeding former endowed professorship holder William Forsythe.
Abraham noted at the time of his appointment that the mission of his company is to create an evocative interdisciplinary body of work, which he was excited to share with the USC community during his residency, January 9-February 12. He recently joined USC Kaufman Dean Julia Ritter for an all-school gathering to talk about his journey in dance. Below are edited excerpts of the conversation.
Dean Ritter: I was hoping we could start by talking about your training, experiences, and encounters that helped you build the skills and confidence to accomplish all these things.
I started studying dance late. I grew up playing classical instruments: the cello, French horn. I was a big rave and hip hop kid. Playing cello was stationary. Dance was something that needed more space. I was hungry to learn everything: Limón technique, Martha Graham technique, Cunningham, various forms of ballet and jazz. I tried to absorb and accept all forms. Ideally, your mind is open to all those things throughout the process.
Can you talk about the kind of genres or sounds that got you into motion?
My first record was a Prince album. But I can find joy in all of it—Country to Heavy Metal to Gospel. It's all valid. But I think it's the intentionality behind it that draws me in. I worked in record stores for a long time. That was my high school job. I think having a love and appreciation for everything drives me in different ways.
What led you to make the decision to study dance in higher ed?
It was my senior year in high school. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company came to my school and performed excerpts of a work called Still Here. Bill also read from his autobiography. Learning about the dancers in that company led me to consider different possibilities with choreography. Eventually, I went to SUNY Purchase. Before that, I went to Morgan State in Baltimore. There's a lot of story there, but one of the reasons I chose to go to a conservatory program was to focus on dance as a practice and not just my technical chops.
What were some formative encounters that led you to the path you're on now?
The journey has been tricky and precarious. I never went to college thinking I'd be a dancer. I wanted to focus on being a choreographer, but all my classmates were trying to get dance jobs. I was like, I want to be in a company, too! I got caught up in it, joined a company and ended up having a miserable time. I realized I wanted to be in the room, but I didn't want to be a dancer. I took some time off and moved to London, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, back to New York, trying to figure out my place and what my relationship to dance could be. Going to graduate school was a time for me to figure that out.
Can you talk about some people that stick out in your mind, that gave you good advice and direction?
Stephanie Powell. I got to work with her in Baltimore. I would take her classes on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. She was supportive, and I met a lot of amazing people. The thing that's been the most helpful, always, is my dancers and my company. They remind me that the work I'm making isn't for critics. It's been so liberating.
You have a really, I think, progressive structure in your company in terms of participation and sharing. How did you cultivate that?
If you create a work with me and you stay with that work through its premiere, you'll get a royalty for the rest of your life. Collaborators that work always get a check. When I first started out, we were using my EBT card just to bring in snacks! But it evolved from there by saying, Okay, well, I can't pay hourly, I can give you a stipend. Those stipends improved. And then we got to hourly pay, then salaries. Now every dancer has a salary, healthcare, retirement plan, health insurance, workers comp., royalties, massage credits. It takes time and help but the goal was always to support the community that we want to have.


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text:
Tennis: Quick revenge sweet for Kerber over Kvitova
Kerber in action against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Apr 26, 2018, 3:56 am SGT
http://str.sg/oGYy
STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) - Angelique Kerber earned quick revenge against Petra Kvitova with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of the Czech in the Stuttgart Grand Prix first round on Wednesday (April 25).
The pair had faced off last Sunday at the same Porsche arena venue in a Fed Cup semi-final tie won by the visitors, with Kvitova defeating Kerber.
The German, a former world number one who is now ranked 12th, was all business against the two-time Wimbledon champion, preventing Kvitova from three straight victories in their head-to-head series.
Kerber closed it out on her third match point after 77 minutes when Kvitova returned long.
"I had goosebumps when I came out on court," said the German. "It was not an easy match after Sunday.
"My team and I analysed it and we learned from that loss. I'm unbelievably happy to be in the second round.
"I knew what to expect from Petra, I tried to play aggressive and control the match. I always need time to get my rhythm."
Kerber set up a match against Anett Kontaveit, the world number 31 who outlasted Kristina Mladenovic 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5).
The Estonian needed more than three hours to put out 2017 finalist Mladenovic, with the French player saving match points in the final-set tiebreaker.
Between them, the women converted on 19 of 39 break points on offer, with Mladenovic sunk by 10 double-faults.
CoCo Vandeweghe put aside her career-long dislike of clay to crush US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-0 with a 56-minute rout.
There was a similar fate for last year's New York runner-up, with Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova eliminating American Madison Keys 7-6 (9/7), 5-7, 6-4.
Vandeweghe and Stephens, who won the Miami title last month after a lacklustre six months following her Grand Slam triumph, had teamed up at the weekend to help the United States defeat France and reach the Fed Cup final.
"I really don't like clay, it's my least favourite surface," Vandeweghe said after defeating the seventh seed.
"I'll never like it. This is my second time in Germany - I'm not here for the clay, it's more the shopping.
"I didn't come out here to play and lose."
Vandeweghe broke six times in her victory and next faces defending champion Laura Siegemund of Germany in the second round.
Vandeweghe increased her career record over Stephens to 4-1.
In other first-round results, Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova surprised Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 and Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas downed Germany's Carina Witthoeft 6-3, 6-2.


Over the past 30-years,much research has been undertaken as to how to develop a competitive contemporary steam locomotive. Much of the research can directly and indirectly be attributed to one man, L.D.Porta. During two time periods over the past 30 years, oil shortages and oil price increases provided the incentive to seek ways to improve the classic steamer. Future projections are again predicting an oil shortage, in the form of an expected decline in worldwide oil production after 2010.
The existing internal combustion used in the present generation of diesel powered locomotives has its limitations as far as its fuel tolerance range is concerned. This could change in the future, if a more flexible/multi-fuel internal combustion engine is developed. However, certain types of fuels would be quite unsuitable for use in an internal combustion engine .... but would work quite well in an external combustion system, such as the firebox of a steam locomotive. Most research devoted to future steam has focused around coal as the fuel of choice, though other combustible solid fuels have been offered as alternatives.
One experiment in Australia during the 1950's involved the use of powdered coal, fed into the firebox via a screw mechanism. The locomotive showed an increase of 10% efficiency over similar comparable steamers burning chunks of coal. During the 1980's in Sweden, a combustion technology was developed allowing a coal slurry (a paste of water and powdered coal) to be fed into a combustion chamber where it was burnt to boil water to raise steam in an environmentally very clean electric power station. Coal slurry can be transported via pipeline ...... and could become a fuel option for future locomotives which use contemporary burning technology. Further research may yet develop a burner system which can allow a paste or a flammable liquid (otherwise unsuitable for use in an internal combustion engine or fuel cell) to be used as a fuel.
The fluidized bed of coal is also an option which has proven itself efficient and effective. This technology is not restricted to burn only coal, many other types of solid fuel (biomass) may also be burned. Future fireboxes/combustion chambers could be built to use any of a paste, a liquid or a solid fuel to raise steam.
Turbine:Extreme power for heavy hauling.
At the present day, variety of turbines are readily available in the market and in a variety of power levels. Turbines yield their maximum efficiency at maximum power, but become extremely inefficient at part-load settings. One alternative around this problem is to use 4-turbines in a 1:2:4:8-power ratio, which would actually yield 15-power settings, all at maximum efficiency. The added cost of such a system could be recovered from savings in fuel consumption, as compared to a single turbine yielding equal maximum power but low efficiencies at lower power settings. The cost of a multi-turbine locomotive would require that it be an extreme-power locomotive used in extreme serve, like pulling heavy ore trains over difficult terrain, or heavy and fast freight trains requiring peak power of a 15,000-Hp steam-turbine-electric locomotive. A smaller and perhaps power different concept would be more suitable for less demanding types of railway service, in the 1,000-4,000-Hp range.
A variety of small, uniflow steam engines are in use today, mainly converted diesel engines in rural Australia. The engines were made either by Lister or Detroit Diesel, as internal combustion 2-stroke diesels. When converted to uniflow steam operation, steam enters the cylinder via the inlet valves (formerly exhaust valves) of the Detroit Diesel 3-71 engine, while one of the cylinders is near top dead centre (TDC). The steam continues to expand after cut-off (closure of inlet valves) until the piston opens the ports at the bottom of the power stroke. Much of the spent steam goes out via the ports (exhaust ports which were formerly inlet ports). During the upstroke that follows, the remaining low pressure steam is compressed and heated, maintaining heat on top of the piston. The inlet valves open as the piston reached TDC, letting in a new charge of steam and cushioning the piston. In Australian service, efficiencies going as high as 21% have been reported for this type of single-acting uniflow steam engine. That the cranks are spaced 120-degrees apart assists in starting as well as enabling smooth power flow.
A vee-2 uniflow steam engine has been built and tested in Australia by PRSteam, for road vehicle use.The engine has delivered efficiencies in the 15%-17% range, using a flash boiler to raise steam. The inventor, Ted Pritchard, was researching a flexible fuel, low polluting alternative to the internal combustion gasoline/petrol engine .... with promising results.
The unusually high efficiency for a uniflow engine was predicted decades ago by a Professor Stumph, from Charlottenburgh in Germany, who compared the "exhaust near the bottom of the stroke" to the more conventional system where inlet and exhaust were side by side, yielding about half the efficiency for single expansion. A single piston in a uniflow expansion system has been theorized to be able to operate at the efficiency levels of a compound conventional cylinder system.
A interesting development has occurred in road vehicle engines, in that a heavy duty diesel road engine (with exhaust via ports at the bottom of the stroke) has recently come on the market. The engine is a vee-4 built by RODI in the USA .... and could be adapted into a vee-4, single-acting uniflow steam engine with steam inlet at TDC. Its size range, weight and good balance make it suitable as use in rural power generation (using steam) or in a small, narrow-gauge steam locomotive in the 50-200-Hp range. Alternatively, it may be adapted for use in a steam-powered bus or truck, operating as a future flexible or multi fuel commercial vehicle.
Since 1980,new proposals for future piston-steam locomotives originated in the USA, the UK and Australia, all involving some kind of compound cylinder system. Much of the research which went into these proposals originated with L.D.Porta from Argentina. Most, however, seemed commited to the conventional cylinder system. One very unique concept came from National Steam Propulsion Company, under its president, Fred Prahl.
The NSPC concept proposed to use existing locomotive componentry, such as a diesel engine block converted to steam, existing alternators and existing trucks (bogies) and conventional electric traction motors. The proposal called for 3,500-Hp ... and locomotive builder EMD showed interest. In conventional diesel operation, the EMD locomotive uses a 2-stroke engine with (inlet) ports at the bottom dead centre and exhaust valves at TDC. By changing the EMD inlet ports to exhaust ports and the exhaust valves to inlet valves, the flow would be reversed and the engine would then be the basis of a uniflow single acting steam engine.
EMD builds its 2-stroke engines in an inline-8, vee-12, vee-16 and vee-20. Some of the cylinders in the multi-cylinder layouts could operate as high-pressure cylinders, while other "siamesed pairs" could operate as low pressure cylinders in a steam power system. The initial calculated efficiency of the NSPC single-acting piston-steamer was 18%, with an estimated potential going as high as 27%. A method of turbocharging a piston steam engine was proposed by Dr.John Sharpe (UK) in the mid 1980's, for use in a proposed Garratt locomotive, where the exhaust steam from the low-pressure cylinder would drive a turbocharger and "compress" the reheated steam entering the low pressure cylinder. Combining Dr.Sharpe's concept with the NSPC research may be able to raise the overall efficiency of either locomotive.
The EMD is by no means the only engine block which can be adapted to use as a uniflow steam piston engine for railway use. In the history of North American 2-stroke diesel locomotives, EMD had a competitor, Fairbanks-Morse. The Fairbanks-Morse was a horizontally-opposed piston system, with inlet ports at one cylinder's BDC and exhaust ports at its partner's BDC (bottom dead centre). Adapting a Fairbanks-Morse engine block to a uniflow steam cycle would mean that both sets of ports in each cylinder become exhaust ports (the easy part). Installing inlet steam valves at the TDC of each piston set would be more challenging. The added equivalent stroke of the opposed piston layout does allow for a delayed cut-off of the inlet valves, for possible higher power delivery and high efficiency levels. Using engine blocks such as the EMD or Fairbanks-Morse would result in power levels comparable to the existing range of diesel locomotives (3,500 - 4,000-Hp range).
There are types of service which have evolved over the years, which has opened a market for locomotives in the under 1500-Hp power range. An RODI engine could be adapted for use in a small shunting fireless cooker engine. A layout of 4-such engines would enable a locomotive to a haul lighter intermodal trains, such as the American "roadrailer" trains, where rail trucks/bogies are attached directly to the underside of a highway trailer. Such trains require less locomotive power output due to their lighter weight and good aerodynamics.
Some recent research into fireless cookers has focused around advances in the field of materials engineering and thermochemistry. Some early experiments in thermal energy storage involved the use of molten caustic soda (NaOH) which melts at over 400 degrees C and has over 100 BTU/lb latent heat of fusion. The corrosive nature of caustic soda and the lack of availability of suitable storage tank materials, ended the research. In more modern times, other chemical cocktails having much higher levels of latent heat of fusion (300 - 400 deg C) can be synthesised, while a variety of corrosion resistant coatings (such as teflon, kevlar and other high-temperature super-plastics and super-fibres) are available to line the insides of thermal storage tanks. With a capability of storing 500 BTU/lb in 250,000-lbs of a storage material in a fireless loco built to the maximum clearance dimensions for North American service, some 10,000 Hp-hr could be available at the drawbar (20%-efficiency) ..... allowing a power delivery of 1,500-Hp for 6-hrs ...... enough to pull an intermodal "roadrailer" train between city pairs such as Toronto-Montreal. Developing a fireless super-cooker to a capability of 20,000-Hp-hr at the drawbar could make the concept economically viable as oil prices skyrochet after the projected decline in worldwaide oil production after 2010.
Developing countries often have difficulty affording the world price of oil and often lack the technical manpower skill to maintain diesel powered rail/road vehicles. A case in point is Zimbabwe, which still operates Garratt steam locomotives in their railway services. A niche may develop in the railways of developing countries for a simple, water-only fireless cooker ..... using uniflow steam piston engines as well as storage tanks able to operate at over 1,000 psig and 300-degrees C. he pistons would operate at 200 - 250 psig .... in their superheat range for 300 deg C.
Energy thermal charging would be done in stationary mode, complimentd by on board supplementary thermal charging using small, high pressure flash type boilers as used by Doble and Pritchard (PR Steam .. Australia). A dual stationary thermal recharging system would include both a heat exchanger line (when super-heated air from burning natural gas is used) as well as a perforated steam line at the bottom of the thermal tank (when water is boiled by burning biomass, or from heat from heliostats). High pressure super-heated steam would be injected into the water in the thermal tank, via the perforated tube at the tank bottom. To maximise operating range, the thermal storage system would be built to the maximum dimensions allowable on the intercity railway system of the country of operation. A locomotive needs an energy reserve, which would be provided mainly from thermal recharging from an external source. Onboard thermal charging would be used to extend the operating range or increase performance. A variety of mainly liquid or solid fuels which would otherwise be unsuitable for internal combustion engine use, would be burnt in the onboard boiler. Whereas a small low-pressure shunting cooker with standard cylinders (4% eff) would be good for 20-miles pulling a train, a high pressure uniflow cylinder(12%-15%)super-cooker having 3 -times the storage volume would be capable of pulling the same load at the same speed for over 100-miles from a stationary thermal recharge. The small onboard high-pressure boiler could extend this range to well over 200 -miles.
Single vs double acting expansion.
An interesting discussion has begun re the relative merits of single acting vs double acting steam expansion in uniflow steam engines. A variety of 2-stroke heavy duty diesel engines (Lister, Detroit Diesel, RODI and EMD) can or have already been converted to steam operation ..... with the valves in the cylinder heads being used as inlet valves, while the ports near BDC were used for exhaust. Such engines used in rural serve in Australia and on a high pressure flash type boiler, have reported to have delivered up to 21% efficiency. Extensive modifications have to be made to such off -the-line engines: cooling systems have to be insulated, the oil spray under the piston has to be re-directed, camshaft timing needs extensive modification ..... to enable the valve cut-off to be adjusted from a lever.
Proponents of double-acting expansion claim efficiency in size, less engine weight and lower complexity. Double acting expansion invariably requires the use of a sliding cross-head. One challenge of the double-acting system, is to protect the piston rod from cooling as it repeated leaves and re-enters the steam cylinder. This would otherwise reduce efficiency if the piston rod is repeatedly heated and cooled. One alternative to this dilemma is to either enclose the piston rod, protecting it from the surroundings, or to coat it with a ceramic compound. Double-acting expansion tends to be more severe on the crank bearings, than a comparably sized single-acting engine. Oversized roller bearings on the crankshaft would benefit both engine types as would insulation of the engine.
Click here to return to the International Steam Page.


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Srila Giri Maharaja – "Good for Sripada Paramahamsa Maharaja"
Posted on January 3, 2018 by Uddharan dasa
Dear Sriman Uddharan dasa Adhikari,
My dandavat pranamas to Your Grace.
I just read your news about the Indian Maths (included below my signature).
Good for Sripada Paramahamsa Maharaja, Sriman Mahadeva and those others who have realized their grave errors in opposing Sripada Acharya Maharaja as the rightful heir to the Navadwipa Math and the Indian group of Maths and are now working to remove Sripadas Nandana Maharaja and Chaitanya Giri Maharaja who, according to Srila Govinda Maharaja, they left Srila Sridhara Maharaja's sampradaya when they went outside of it to take sannyasa from Srila Puri Maharaja.
Paramahamsa Maharaja and associates seem to have realized on their own, and by Srila Gurudeva's grace, that their actions were inappropriate. Contrast that with Sripada's Acharya Maharaja and Janardana Maharaja who send their agents here to canvass on their behalf.
Led by Sriman Vidhura Krishna and Sripada Tyagi Maharaja, both working under the direction of Janardana Maharaja and Acharya Maharaja, they began their campaign here in the summer of 2010, immediately following Srila Govinda Maharaja's disappearance. At that time they came here as a small group of men from Soquel to gather support for Acharya Maharaja who had been pronounced the worldwide acharya by the IAB, with Janardana Maharaja and others named to be acharyas lending their support to that conception and deferring to him. This was all done despite the fact that no such inference could be reasonably drawn from anything implicitly or explicitly stated by Srila Govinda Maharaja. In addition, his Last Will and Testament explicitly stated his command that six sannyasis "shall" accept the post of acharya in specific regions of the world after his disappearance.
Before coming here Vidura Krishna contacted me to enlist my support for their doing collection in this area. I welcomed them to do so and invited them to stay in the Math whenever possible. We were happy to have them and we were enlivened to see their enthusiasm to collect for the Soquel Ashram. But they had another purpose in mind which I did not fully understand until I heard they were arranging a program in New York city, the purpose of which was to urge the devotees here to gather in Soquel in support of Acharya Maharaja's first visit to the USA. The program they had arranged included invitations for all the known devotees of this area. I, even though named by Srila Gurudeva to serve as his successor for New York, was not invited to attend. This disturbed Srimati Divya Shakti Devi who saw this behavior as an affront to me, which of course it was. In response she kindly saw to it that I was invited and even took it upon herself to make a garland to offer to me at the outset of the program. In part, at least, I'm sure she did this to show how an acharya should be respected and to set a good example for the other devotees who were apparently unaware of such things.
Near the end of the program the Soquel devotees, a little shyly, invited everyone to come to Soquel for Acharya Maharaja's visit. I then understood that to be the principal reason for arranging the program and why I had not been invited. They wanted to gather support for the acharya of the Indian group while in the house, so to speak, of the acharya Srila Govinda Maharaja named to represent him in New York.
Apparently they saw nothing inappropriate in these actions, although their shyness in front of me indicated otherwise.
Although I was, in the end, invited by the Soquel devotees to attend the NYC program, no arrangement was made by them for my transportation back to the Math. When this became known to Sriman Gokulananda he graciously took up the slack and drove the 200 miles round trip to bring me to the Math and return to his home in NYC. Otherwise, I would have been left to try and find my way back by bus and other public transportation.
To be frank, I doubt the Soquel devotees had much idea at all how to deal properly with senior devotees, Gurudeva's rtviks and the acharyas named by Srila Gurudeva. During my numerous visits to Soquel, from the time of it's inception until Srila Gurudeva's disappearance, it was obvious the younger devotees had received little training in these matters. So much so, that the one responsible for their training, Sripada Janardana Maharaja, told me (immediately after Gurudeva's disappearance) he would not accept the post of acharya for Soquel because it would not be accepted by the devotees there. I offered to go there at my own expense to support Gurudeva's selection of him as acharya for Soquel but he was convinced no effort in that regard would be successful. I said "They must accept it, since it is Srila Gurudeva's desire." Janardana Maharaja reiterated his position that he would not be accepted as the acharya there. This told me two things. The Soquel devotees had little regard for Janardana Maharaja, and even insufficient regard for Srila Govinda Maharaja's expressed direction. Of course, there must have been exceptions and I was not as convinced about this as Janardana Maharaja, but that's the history and Janardana Maharaja's expectation is one I could easily sympathize with.
Now Paramahamsa Maharaja and company have realized the inappropriateness of their actions with respect to the acharya of the Indian group and he/they has/have tearfully apologized for the misbehavior.
However, this gentleman (below) still does not know in the year 2017 whether or not his preaching programs this summer in New York and New Jersey, which he arranged in order to canvass on behalf of Janardana Maharaja and Acharya Maharaja, were appropriate or inappropriate. This came to my notice when he responded to this email from me:
Dear Sripada Tyagi Maharaja,
Your guru is Srila Govinda Maharaja. He directed the following in his Last Will and Testament:
"Sripad Giri Maharaj is a very good person and my respect is also with Giri Maharaj. He will be the Acharya of New York, New Jersey and Detroit."
What do these directions of your guru about "the Acharya of New York, New Jersey and Detroit" mean to you?
Swami B.K. Giri
Responding to my question he wrote this:
Dandavat Maharaj.
They mean you are appointed as the Acharya to serve in those areas.
If you mean to imply by this question that my visiting those areas last summer was something inappropriate, then I beg you excuse me for that.
-BKT [Bhakti Kamal Tyagi]
Not knowing how he understood Srila Gurudeva's directions, I did not mean my question to imply anything, except the obvious, that I was interested to know: What do these directions of your guru about "the Acharya of New York, New Jersey and Detroit" mean to you?
What is implied by his answer is this: he does not know whether his canvassing on behalf of Acharya Maharaja and Janardana Maharaja in New York, with utter disregard for the acharya his guru named for New York is, or is not, inappropriate.
He begs I excuse him for his action, but only if I meant to imply by my question that his visit was inappropriate. Since I did not mean to imply that by my question, he does not seem to know whether his visit was inappropriate or not. At least he is non-commital on that point.
If Paramahamsa Maharaja's activities were inappropriate in the preaching field of Acharya Maharaja and created a disturbance there, and Tyagi Maharaja understands Gurudeva's direction about New York and New Jersey "mean you [Giri Maharaja] are appointed as the Acharya to serve in those areas.", what possible business could he have here except to create a disturbance, as Paramahamsa Maharaja & others did in India? Is creating a disturbance here appropriate or inappropriate? BKT does not seem to know.
If, as he told me in the past, he is actually working under the direction of Janardana Maharaja and Acharya Maharaja (who immediately rejected Gurudeva's Will), perhaps we should expect he cannot understand what has become obvious to Paramahamsa Maharaja, that Srila Gurudeva expected the devotees of his Mission to show respect for the integrity of the prabhu datta desha's (the preaching fields assigned by the Lord, or His representative) he assigned to the various acharyas he named.
But that conclusion would contradict the truth. The truth is that all things are revealed to one who is faithful to a bonafide vaishnava guru. The Nuremberg Trials defense by Nazi's: "I was simply following orders." did not save them from being convicted of crimes against humanity. Similarly the disciples of Srila Gurudeva are responsible to obey his direction even if those posted as their superiors do not. The position of our guru is never supplanted by any other authority. We must be faithful to him, even at the risk of disobeying other prominent persons, be they mother, father, demigod, etc. or even another guru:
gurur na sa syat sva jano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis ca sa syan
na mocayed yah samupeta mrtyum
"Even a spiritual master, relative, parent, husband, or demigod who cannot save us from repeated birth and death should be abandoned at once." What to speak of ordinary things, even the guru, may have to be abandoned. One may even have to give up one's own spiritual guide, as in the case of Bali Maharaja, or one's relatives, as in the case of Vibhisana. In the case of Prahlada, his father had to be given up, and in the case of Bharata Maharaja, it was his mother. In the case of Khatvanga Maharaja, he left the demigods, and in the case of the yajna patnis, (the wives of the brahmanas) they left their husbands in the endeavor to reach the Absolute Personality.
We need society only to help us. If our affinity to the society keeps us down, then that should be given up, and we must march on. There is the absolute consideration and the relative consideration. When they come into clash, the relative must be given up, and the absolute should be accepted.
— Sri Guru and His Grace
I pray this finds you well in all respects.
Dear Devotees and Friends,
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga. All glories to our Divine Master, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda-Dev Goswami Maharaj. Please accept my obeisances.
Under the guidance of Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj I have prepared this report for the sincere devotees around the world who are anxious for news of the situation of our Mula Math in Sri Nabadwip Dham.
I was recently in Kolkata and was staying at the Sevak Bhavan where Srila Acharya Maharaj and many other devotees were residing.
As Srila Acharya Maharaj previously wrote in his letter of September 27, 2017, the Dum Dum Park temple and the Kaikali temple are again operating under his guidance.
On December 5th there was a grand festival in the Dum Dum Park temple in honor of the holy appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda-Dev Goswami Maharaj which was led by Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.
Sripad Parmahamsa Maharaj also attended that festival and spoke briefly. In his talk he spoke about his realization that it is now time to give up our ego and work together behind Srila Acharya Maharaj to protect the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. The Math was being attacked from the outside and he now understood it was imperative that everyone work together to defend the Math against these attacks.
Over the last few months, several meetings were held between Srila Acharya Maharaj, Sripad Parmahamsa Maharaj, Mahadev Prabhu and several other devotees who had previously rejected Srila Acharya Maharaj's position. Some devotees who were in attendance, described to me that those devotees, who were previously in opposition to Srila Acharya Maharaj, now expressed their genuine and sincere desire to work together in their service to Srila Govinda Maharaj under the guidance of Srila Acharya Maharaj. Tears were shed, obeisances were offered and other heartfelt emotions of regret were publicly expressed by them.
In the will and last testament of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda-dev Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj is named as his successor and proprietor of all the Math's properties. However, shortly after Srila Govinda Maharaj's disappearance in 2010, Sripad Parmahamsa Maharaj contested the will of Srila Govinda Maharaj. His objections halted the legal transfer of the Math's assets into Srila Acharya Maharaj's name.
Recently Srila Acharya Maharaj was happy to receive a very positive ruling from the Calcutta High Court. Sripad Parmahamsa Maharaj withdrew his objections to the will of Srila Govinda Maharaj and so the court ruled that the estate can now go into probate with Srila Acharya Maharaj as the executor. Probate means that the court has certified the will to be genuine. The court assigned two administrators to oversee the collection of all of Srila Govinda Maharaj's assets and their subsequent transfer into the name of Srila Acharya Maharaj.
Srila Acharya Maharaj delivered copies of the court ruling to the various parties and authorities in Nabadwip and Krishnanagar. Initially, Nandan Swami and Ranjit refused to acknowledged the validity of the ruling. Consequently, they refused to vacate the Math in Nabadwip. Srila Acharya Maharaj, along with the court appointed administrators, were able to obtain a legal order for them to vacate the Math's premises. Srila Acharya Maharaj plans to re-enter the Nabadwip Math within a few days to re-establish his position as the President Sevaite Acharya and guardian of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Nabadwip Dham.
We are praying at the feet of our divine masters for their continued protection and grateful for their mercy and this auspicious turn of events.
Hasyapriya das,
Manager of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram, Soquel, California
This entry was posted in English, Srila Giri Maharaja Articles by Uddharan dasa. Bookmark the permalink.


Two Tuesday's a month I link up with Andrea over at the Momfessionals blog for Show & Tell Tuesday.
Motherhood struggles, marriage struggles, life struggles ... ALL things struggle.
We all know how good social media is at making our lives look perfect ... but lets face it, we ALL have struggles.
Well it's a good thing!
Some days I am just a big ole hot mess ... some days I feel like a rock star mom ... & other days my kiddos drive me nuts.
Oh my sweet Millie Jo.
Girlfriend is as strong willed as they come & will throw down the second she doesn't get her way. And she also gets a spanking for it because ain't nobody got time for that. That girl is determined to get what she wants when she wants it. Sorry baby girl, life doesn't work that way.
Little miss 4 going on 20.
And here she is trying to compromise with me that since I wouldn't let her spend her dollar in the quarter machine, then I should take her to Starbucks for a double chocolate chip frappe.
I mean, need I say more!?!
Story of my life, y'all.
I feel like I really have my life together when I meal plan for the week ... only to walk right out of my house, get to the grocery store & realize my dern list is on the counter.
Since I was about 12 or 13 years old I've suffered from severe migraines. Y'all, they're horrible & a major struggle for me.
I walk into Millie Jo's room & this is how it always ... always ... always looks.
PLEASE tell me that my kiddos aren't the only ones who want to eat all.day.every.day!?!?
Oh my heart! Give them all the snacks .. or don't because if you do they are sure to eat them all ... in like a day!
I bet I say "no means no" 27 times a day.
Yep, that's my bed ... & that's our clean laundry.
It's no secret to any of my readers that I stink at keeping up with laundry. I've tried doing a load a day but then miss a day & it reaches the point of no return.
He really does love me! HA!
And all the mamas said amen.
I had several mamas message me after seeing my insta story of Cooper hitting the baseball & BARELY missing Millie Jo's head with the ball the other day & told me that I wasn't alone! Thank you, girls!
For the most part they get along ... no, who am I kidding ... they fight 98% of the time. I mean I had to sit them down the very first day of summer & tell them that I was NOT going to call them down all day every day for fighting.
Another struggle ... geez, I bet y'all are thinking I could go on all day!
And while all these "struggles" I have shared above are true & some funny, I wouldn't feel right about doing this post without mentioning the struggle that my marriage went through in 2015. My marriage was left lifeless and all thanks to ... me. Even though my hubby, being the man he is, would never let me take full blame, I take it. If you were to ask me or him, we would've told you that our marriage was over & we were ready to call it quits but God had other plans. HUGE plans. He used our heartache for His glory, He mended our hearts, He restored our marriage. So many times people have said to us "your family is beautiful, the all American family" but little did they know what we were going through & what all we have been through to get us where we are today. The struggle WAS real but that struggle made us stronger than ever & we give God all the glory because only He could get us through that. I am so thankful God blessed me with such a loving man with a very forgiving heart!
And another struggle in my life is one that I talk about often, losing Ruthie Belle at 15 weeks pregnant. That one was huge for me & Dan. But again, though I may not fully understand why things happened like they did, I give God the glory because He is using her precious life.
Maybe you currently have a struggle in your life whether it be in your marriage, motherhood or just life in general. I am with you. I've been there. Feel free to email me or comment. I would love to pray for you.
Keep your eyes to Jesus. Thank Him for the struggle & allow Him to use it. I promise you, if you do so, He can heal any marriage, sickness, relationship & heartache.
And if you've missed any of my previous post, you can find them here.
Great shares! I saw that kid eating schedule on Facebook the other day and laughed so hard! My favorite is when your kid has basically had a 4 course lunch and then 30 minutes later asks when we're going to be eating lunch!?! Agh!
Great post, Whitney! Love your openness and honesty. And girl, I totally GET IT! My kids fight allllll day long and are constantly snacking. Like ALL.DAY.LONG!


AS THE VOYAGER 2 spacecraft sails past Uranus today, the payoff to watching humans 1.8 billion miles away will be far more meaningful and valuable than a collection of awe-inspiring snapshots.
Some skeptics may ask: Is this trip really necessary? Should American taxpayers be spending more than half-a-billion dollars to go planet-hopping for 12 years, when we haven't solved problems on Earth like an AIDS epidemic, Ethiopian famine, poverty, crime, homelessness and the threat of nuclear war?
The answer is an emphatic yes. Yes, we should solve earthbound problems and yes we should also engage in meaningful exploration of our solar system.
Space exploration has been far more than a high-priced stunt, of interest only to a few science-fiction fans, astronauts and astronomers. Dollar for dollar, the space program has been one of America's best investments, returning many times over its cost in down-to-Earth benefits.
Tick them off: The lives, property and crops saved through better hurricane forecasting; satellite communications that have shrunk the world; the discovery of coal, oil and minerals through Earth resources studies from orbit; and numerous products, ideas and technologies developed as space spin- offs.
For that enormous payoff, we Americans have spent only a relatively small portion of our tax money. NASA's budget this year is $7 billion, just 3/4 of 1 percent of the federal budget. A NASA spokesman says that's only enough to run America's social programs for eight days.
Since it was launched in August 1977, Voyager's glorious photos of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have shamed Hollywood's special-effects artists.
But the mission has also drastically increased a hard-to-price commodity -- knowledge. In Voyager's six-hour "close encounter" of Urais invaluable, for its own sake. But previous Voyager flybys of Jupiter and Saturn are already having important practical down-to-Earth consequences, helping us learn more about predicting weather and developing theories of "nuclear winter" that can have a profound effect on the arms-control debate. NASA's computer-enhanced image processing is already being applied to help doctorddition to 11 scientific instruments, the robot spacecraft carries something special -- the hopes of earthlings that someone or something might eventually find Voyager and maybe even its home base.
To increase that tiny possibility, attached to Voyager is a gold-plated record with greetings in 54 languages, various musical songs and natural sounds and 118 still photos of life onnus and Neptune? We go because we can, because the solar system is our home and because we have developed the intelligence and the technology to explore the farthest, darkest corners of our attic, well beyond the tiny speck of dust called Earth.
We go because as we learn more about the other planets in our solar system, we find ways to solve immediate problems on Earth.
Voyager's real payoff is knowledge. We have always been a people who insisted on pressing to and beyond the outer limits of our frontiers, and space is our newest frontier.
Sail on, Voyager, and keep your electronic eyes and ears open. We will be waiting, watching, listening . . . and hoping that your greetings are answered someday.


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US hits Assange with 17 charges under Espionage Act
US hits Assange with 17 charges under Espionage Act Featured
Courtesy YouTube
WikiLeaks publisher and founder Julian Assange has been hit with 17 new charges under the US Espionage Act over his alleged role in leaking documents from former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010, according to the US Department of Justice.
The grand jury indictment, unveiled on Thursday, carries a maximum sentence of between five and 10 years for each charge. The US has already sought his extradition to face charges of computer hacking and being involved in a compromise of classified information, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years.
A special shoutout to all those pundits & politicians who were assuring us Assange's case isn't an attack on press freedom because it was about trying to break a password.
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) May 23, 2019
"The superseding indictment alleges that Assange was complicit with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the US Army, in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defence," the Justice Department said in a statement.
Assange was arrested by British police on 11 April after taking refuge in the Ecuador embassy in London after the South American nation offered him asylum. This was withdrawn in April and Assange appeared in court shortly thereafter.
He was later sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for skipping bail at the time he fled into the Ecuador embassy; at that time, he was wanted in Sweden for questioning on rape allegations made against him by two women. Sweden has subsequently reopened the rape probe and sought his extradition; it had dropped the charge and cancelled the warrant in May 2017.
New Assange charges set a major precedent that could be used to prosecute journalists for the work we do every day. https://t.co/xcvCLxV1Ic
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) May 23, 2019
Thursday's charges claim Assange "engaged in real-time discussions regarding Manning's transmission of classified records to Assange" and "actively encouraged" Manning to hack into a military computer network.
Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning before a change of sex, has been jailed twice recently for refusing to testify before a grand jury that is investigating WikiLeaks. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison originally but had her sentence commuted by former US president Barack Obama in 2017.
The issue isn't whether Assange is a "journalist"; this will be a major test case because the text of the _Espionage Act_ doesn't distinguish between what Assange allegedly did and what mainstream outlets sometimes do, even if the underlying facts/motives are radically different.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) May 23, 2019
The indictment claimed that Assange had published "classified documents that contained the unredacted names of human sources who provided information to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to US State Department diplomats around the world".
It said Manning had used her access as an intelligence analyst to provide "to Assange and WikiLeaks databases containing approximately 90,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activities reports, 800 Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 US Department of State cables".
No matter your thoughts on Julian Assange, the latest indictments—under the outdated Espionage Act—are a disgrace. If you support the indictments out of hate for him, you're giving Trump a weapon to restrict the press. The charges should be dropped and the Espionage Act repealed.
— Mike Gravel (@MikeGravel) May 23, 2019
Trevor Timms, executive director of the non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement: "Put simply, these unprecedented charges against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks are the most significant and terrifying threat to the First Amendment in the 21st century.
"The Trump administration is moving to explicitly criminalise national security journalism, and if this prosecution proceeds, dozens of reporters at The New York Times, Washington Post and elsewhere would also be in danger.
The charges against Assange are equally dangerous for US journalists who uncover the secrets of other nations. If the US can prosecute a foreign publisher for violating our secrecy laws, there's nothing preventing China, or Russia, from doing the same.
— ACLU (@ACLU) May 23, 2019
"The ability of the press to publish facts the government would prefer remain secret is both critical to an informed public and a fundamental right.
"This decision by the Justice Department is a massive and unprecedented escalation in [US President Donald] Trump's war on journalism, and it's no exaggeration to say the First Amendment itself is at risk. Anyone who cares about press freedom should immediately and wholeheartedly condemn these charges."
Published in Strategy
US Espionage Act
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Dominique McElligot is one of the newest characters in House of Cards Season 4 available on only Netflix. Dominique plays Hannah Conway, the beautiful wife of William Conway and First Lady of New York. In our opinion, she's just one of a million reasons that House of Cards is the most binge-worthy show on television today.


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Coty Inc. (COTY) Is Up 1.85% in 2021 With Lots of Room to Run
Winifred Gerald
Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) is 1.85% higher on its value in year-to-date trading and has touched a low of $2.65 and a high of $13.01 in the current 52-week trading range. The COTY stock was last observed hovering at around $6.92 in the last trading session, with the day's gains setting it 0.23% off its average median price target of $6.00 for the next 12 months. It is also 28.5% off the consensus price target high of $10.00 offered by 14 analysts, but current levels are -78.75% lower than the price target low of $4.00 for the same period.
Currently trading at $7.15, the stock is 2.94% and 15.23% above its SMA20 and SMA50 respectively. However, with a daily trading volume of 15.61 million and changing 3.32% at the moment leaves the stock 52.84% off its SMA200. COTY registered -33.18% loss for a year compared to 6-month gain of 62.50%. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average (SMA 50) of $7.07 and a 200-day simple moving average (SMA200) of $4.59.
The stock witnessed a 3.47% loss in the last 1 month and extending the period to 3 months gives it a 117.99%, and is 2.73% up over the last 5 days. If we measure the stock's price variations over the week and the month, we find that the volatility rates stand at 5.11% over the week and 5.72% over the month.
Coty Inc. (COTY) has around 18260 employees, a market worth around $5.63B and $4.43B in sales. Fwd P/E is 20.91. Distance from 52-week low is 169.81% and -45.04% from its 52-week high. The company has generated returns on investments over the last 12 months (-7.30%).
Coty Inc. (COTY) Analyst Forecasts
Analyst recommendations provided by FactSet shows that the consensus forecast for Coty Inc. (COTY) is a "Hold". 14 analysts offering their recommendations for the stock have an average rating of 2.70, where 9 rate it as a Hold and 0 think it is a "Overweight". 3 of the analysts rate the stock as a "Buy". 1 analysts have rated the stock as a Sell or Underperform.
Coty Inc. is expected to release its quarterly report on 05/12/2021 and quarterly earnings per share for the current quarter are estimated at $0.08 with sales reaching $1.44B over the same period.The EPS is expected to grow by 72.10% this year, but quarterly earnings will post -29.50% year-over-year. Quarterly sales are estimated to shrink -38.80% in year-over-year returns.
Coty Inc. (COTY) Top Institutional Holders
389 institutions hold shares in Coty Inc. (COTY), with 477.26M shares held by insiders accounting for 62.31% while institutional investors hold 121.08% of the company's shares. The shares outstanding are 763.90M, and float is at 288.00M with Short Float at 5.49%. Institutions hold 45.63% of the Float.
The top institutional shareholder in the company is Blackrock Inc. with over 33.35 million shares valued at $90.03 million. The investor's holdings represent 4.35% of the COTY Shares outstanding. As of Sep 29, 2020, the second largest holder is Vanguard Group, Inc. (The) with 26.9 million shares valued at $72.63 million to account for 3.51% of the shares outstanding. The other top investors are JP Morgan Chase & Company which holds 14.27 million shares representing 1.86% and valued at over $38.52 million, while Contrarius Investment Management Limited holds 0.98% of the shares totaling 7.48 million with a market value of $20.21 million.
Coty Inc. (COTY) Insider Activity
A total of 27 insider transactions have happened at Coty Inc. (COTY) in the last six months, with sales accounting for 4 and purchases happening 23 times. The most recent transaction is an insider purchase by von Bayern Anna, the company's Chief Corp. Affairs Officer. SEC filings show that von Bayern Anna bought 22,000 shares of the company's common stock on Dec 11 at a price of $7.21 per share for a total of $0.16 million. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 32100.0 shares.
Coty Inc. disclosed in a document filed with the SEC on Dec 10 that von Bayern Anna (Chief Corp. Affairs Officer) bought a total of 100 shares of the company's common stock. The trade occurred on Dec 10 and was made at $7.05 per share for $705.0. Following the transaction, the insider now directly holds 10100.0 shares of the COTY stock.
Still, SEC filings show that on Dec 09, von Bayern Anna (Chief Corp. Affairs Officer) acquired 10,000 shares at an average price of $7.30 for $73000.0. The insider now directly holds 10,000 shares of Coty Inc. (COTY).
Coty Inc. (COTY): Who are the competitors?
The company's main competitors (and peers) include The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) that is trading 18.99% up over the past 12 months. The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) is 10.08% up on the 1-year trading charts. Short interest in the company's stock has fallen -5.05% from the last report on Nov 29, 2020 to stand at a total of 16.84 million short shares sold with a short interest ratio of 1.4.
Coty Inc.
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text:
Trilha Inca
Uma aventura pelo caminho do Sol
PT USD
중국말
USD - Dólar (Estados Unidos)
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Os preços e o pagamento estão na moeda selecionada.
Caminhadas propostas
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Trilha Inca 2 dias
Incluído na caminhada
Calculadora de preços
Reserve para 2021
Pré-reserva para 2021
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Centro de Informações » Generalidades » Vários
Artigos nesta seção
O coronavírus
Última atualização: 23 abril 2020
Esconda tudo
The coronavirus pandemic affecting the world does not spare Peru. Below a brief on the situation.
Current status of the epidemic in Peru
On March 6, 2020 and after more than 100,000 cases worldwide, Peru had its first case of a person infected with the coronavirus. A 25-year-old man returning from Europe on February 26 presented symptoms that were confirmed to be those of the coronavirus. This person, patient zero, is now fully recovered and released on March 16.
To date (08 junho),
199,696 cases have been reported (+3,181 today)
current104,569 (+-263)
recovered89,556 (+3,338)
deceased5,571 (+106)
For any official information, we invite you to visit the website of the Peruvian Ministry of Health www.gob.pe/minsa.
Consequences in Peru
Since March 6, 2020, Peru has taken sanitary measures. On March 11, President Martín Vizcarra applied a 14-day quarantine for anyone coming from France, Italy, Spain or China. But the most important measure was announced on March 15 by the President, declaring a state of emergency from midnight on March 16 and for 15 days. On March 26, the President extended the state of emergency until April 12 included. On April 8, the President extended the state of emergency until April 26 included. On April 23, the President extended the state of emergency until May 10 included. The measures taken are:
Mandatory social isolation of the population (confinement).
Basic services will be provided (the supply of food, medicines, and continuity of water, sanitation, electricity, gas, fuel, telecommunications, cleaning, solid waste collection, funeral services and others).
The national police and the armed forces will take steps to guarantee public services.
Movement within the national territory is restricted.
People may move on public roads only for the provision of and access to essential services and goods such as:
Purchase, production and supply of foodstuffs, including their storage and distribution for sale to the public.
Purchase, production and supply of pharmaceuticals and basic necessities.
Assistance to health centers, services and facilities, as well as diagnostic centers, in case of emergency.
Return to the place of habitual residence.
Assistance and care for the elderly, children, adolescents, dependent persons, persons with disabilities and persons in vulnerable situations.
Financial institutions, insurance and pensions, as well as complementary and related services that guarantee their proper functioning.
Production, storage, transport, distribution and sale of fuel.
Means of communication and call centers.
Borders are totally closed and international passenger transport by land, air, sea and inland waterway is suspended.
Consequences on our services
During the state of emergency between 16 March and 30 March 2020 inclusive, all tourist services are cancelled; transportation is suspended; tourist sites are closed. As a result, the consequences on our services are:
For travelers who already have a reservation, regardless of the date of the trip or service, whatever the service (Inca Trail trek, Salcantay trek, tour, entrance tickets, etc.), and who cannot carry out this service because of the coronavirus, the proposed solutions are:
Postponement of the service. We offer to change the date of the service free of charge, provided that you claim the same service, for a date in 2020, depending on the availability for the chosen day and service. You must inform us at least 48 hours before the date of the service initially planned, so that our agency makes the necessary arrangements with the authorities free of charge.
Cancellation of the service. We will deal on a case-by-case basis, depending on the service, the reservations already made and the paid amounts. Deposits may be refunded, totally or partially. But the chaotic situation, the stoppage of work and institutions and the lack of information do not allow us to have a clear and definitive answer to give. We ask for your understanding and patience.
There will be no compensations. For all those concerned and having a reservation with our agency, we need a copy of the document used to make the reservation (passport or ID) that you must send us as soon as possible by email info@pt.inca-trail.com.pe in order to process your request.
For travelers wishing to book a service (Inca Trail trek, Salcantay trek, excursion, tour, entrance tickets, etc.), it is only possible to book for a service from 1st April 2020. Our pages and forms have already been updated and only a valid date is selectable.
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text:
«Путешествия Тафа» () — сборник рассказов Джорджа Мартина о вольном торговце, а впоследствии — экоинженере, Тафе. Сборник, изданный в 1986 году, состоит из семи рассказов и повестей, написанных в 1976—1985 годах, а также пролога (1986). Сюжет каждого из рассказов (кроме «Чумной звезды», которая является завязкой для сюжета) рассказывает о приключениях Тафа на различных планетах, где он борется с экологическими катастрофами или выполняет иные функции, требующие его познаний в экоинженерии.

«Путешествия Тафа» состоят из 7 повестей и рассказов:
 Чумная звезда (Звезда Смерти, The Plague Star, 1985)
 Хлеба и Рыбы (Loaves and Fishes, 1985)
 Хранители (Guardians, 1981)
 Повторная помощь (Возвращение на С'Атлэм, Second Helpings, 1985)
 Зверь для Норна (A Beast for Norn, 1976)
 Зовите его Моисеем (Зовите его Моисей, Call Him Moses, 1978)
 Манна небесная (Manna from Heaven, 1985)

Сюжет рассказов

Чумная Звезда
Таф — капитан и владелец небольшого торгового судна, который должен доставить экспедицию к «Чумной Звезде». «Звезда» почти полностью уничтожает население близлежащей планеты раз в три поколения. Учёные уверены, что «Звезда» на самом деле — это корабль-сеятель «Ковчег» с Древней Земли, предназначенный для ведения биологических войн. Участники проекта хотят завладеть кораблём и продать его на чёрном рынке. Но корабль обстреливает судно Тафа.

Тафу всё же удаётся посадить своё судёнышко внутри «Ковчега». Корабль-сеятель опустел более 1000 лет назад. Но до сих пор выполняет программу заражения вражеской планеты, на которой некогда жила враждебная землянам раса инопланетян. В команде происходит раскол: все хотят присвоить «Ковчег» себе. Каждый из шести членов экспедиции путешествует по заражённому кораблю.

Люди один за другим погибают от различных бедствий, пока не остаются только Таф и Рика Даунстар. Рика проникла на командный мостик и запустила программу клонирования хищных тварей. Она присваивает Тафу статус «вторженец», а себе — «член экипажа». Теперь все хищники во главе с Рикой охотятся на Тафа. Теперь Тафу, чтобы выжить, придётся проявить чудеса наблюдательности, смекалки и здравого смысла.

Хлеба и рыбы
Таф прибывает на «Ковчеге» для ремонта на космическую станцию «Паучье Гнездо», где работают одни из самых профессиональных инженеров в галактике. Корабль, рассчитанный на персонал в 200 человек, провисел в космосе более десяти веков и получил множество повреждений. Оборудование «Ковчега» может помочь победить голод на планете, население которой уже насчитывает около 37 миллиардов человек. Поэтому руководство станции пускается во все тяжкие, чтобы заполучить корабль. Таф отвергает все предложения о продаже «Ковчега». Тогда у него крадут любимицу — кошку Панику. Тафу предлагают вернуть кошку и снабдить его торговым судном в обмен на «Ковчег», но Таф отказывается. Он выдвигает свои требования: он отсрочит голод на планете, а взамен его судно отремонтируют в рассрочку (денег у Тафа не было). Договор заключён, и Таф создаёт новые культуры, которые отодвинули катастрофу на 90 лет. Но правительство все равно решает изъять у него корабль. Начальница порта решает пойти поперёк распоряжений руководства и даёт Тафу спастись, предварительно вернув ему кошку. Таф подвергается обстрелу систем планетарной обороны, но древний корабль играючи блокирует все снаряды защитным экраном. Таф улетает, но по условиям сделки обязан вернуться через 5 лет, чтобы внести первый платёж по кредиту. Заработать он решает путём спасения планет от экологических кризисов.

Хранители
Таф прибывает на планету, большую часть которой занимает море. Население планеты занимается рыболовным промыслом. Особенно ценится деликатесные «иловые шапочки». Но рыбаки страдают от нападений огромных кракенов. Все попытки победить их на море ни к чему не приводят. Тогда в ход идёт авиация. Первые успехи воздушного флота вызывает новый вид чудовищ, которые подобно воздушным шарам прячутся в облаках, нападая на глайдеры. Чудовища быстро размножаются и начинают экспансию на сушу. Таф соглашается помочь и начинает работу с одной из Хранительниц (офицеров вооружённых сил) на борту. Спустя 40 дней исследований и сотни тысяч погибших Хранительница получает приказ принудить Тафа к действиям. Сначала она угрожает ему смертью, но тот напоминает, что является единственным человеком, который умеет пользоваться «Ковчегом». Таф не скрывает, что это не так уж и трудно, но пока их учёные разберутся в устройстве машины, чудовища уничтожат их планету. Тогда Хранительница заявляет, что будет убивать кошек, и Таф сдаётся. В океан сбрасываются акулы, хищные спруты и десятки других видов животных, воспроизведённых на ковчеге. Сначала кажется, что эта мера помогла, но потом появляются новые чудовища, приспособленные для борьбы с животными Тафа, и ситуация приобретает бедственный характер. Таф предлагает вернуться к своим исследованиям, если планету интересует собственное выживание. Хранительница соглашается, не имея другого выбора.

Спустя ещё некоторое время Таф созывает совет хранителей и приносит на него котёнка и «иловую шапочку». Таф объяснил, что все атаки начались в местах, где существует всего один общий вид — этот деликатес. На компьютерах «Ковчега» он произвёл анализ и пришёл к выводу, что они — телепаты невероятной силы, пробудившие морских чудовищ на свою защиту, заставляя их меняться в зависимости от появление новых противников. Так как «шапочки» не имели органов восприятия, они даже не догадывались, что люди — это разумная раса, и считали корабли, дирижабли и другие средства защиты отдельными хищными видами. Таф вывел специальных котят с усиленными пси-возможностями (в течение всех рассказов Таф рассказывает, что у кошек есть зачатки пси-способностей, то есть в рамках книги это доказанный факт), которые были посредниками в переговорах. В результате мир был достигнут с одним условием: люди прекращают добычу «шапочек», а те отзывают своих чудовищ. Таф требует за свою работу 5 миллионов кредитов. Он объясняет такую сумму тем, что потратил массу биоматериала на создание бесполезных животных. Но руководство отказывается платить. Тогда Таф отправляет на планету документальный фильм. В фильме корабль его класса уничтожает экосистему похожей планеты. Жители планеты, просмотрев фильм, немедленно оплатили Тафу работу.

Повторная помощь
Хэвиланд Таф на своём экозвездолёте «Ковчег» вновь прибывает на планету Сатлэм, где ремонтировал свой звездолёт в рассказе «Хлеба и рыбы» пять лет назад. Во-первых, для того, чтобы отдать первую половину долга, а во-вторых, чтобы снова предотвратить на Сатлэме экологическую катастрофу. Суть этой катастрофы в том, что руководство Сатлэма не восприняло его предупреждений о необходимости ограничения рождаемости. В итоге, обнадеженные «Тафовым Расцветом» — появлением на продовольственном рынке новых продуктов питания, которые сконструировал для Сатлэма Таф, сатлемцы принялись плодиться с удвоенным пылом. В результате помощь Тафа привела к прямо противоположенному эффекту — продовольственная катастрофа ещё больше приблизилась. Таф настаивает на пресс-конференции. На этой конференции он призывает население Сатлэма одуматься и приступить к ограничению рождаемости. Поскольку это противоречит религии Сатлэма, суть которой можно выразить доктриной «плодитесь и размножайтесь», Тафу приходится бежать на свой звездолёт. От рукоприкладства его спасли охранники, но от многих плевков ему увернуться не удалось.

Зверь для Норна
Попивая пивко в баре сельскохозяйственной планеты Тембер, Хевиланд Таф знакомится с неким Хирольдом Норном. Тот рассказывает, что прибыл с соседней планеты Лайоника. Лайоника славится тем, что на ней ведут бескомпромиссную многовековую борьбу Двенадцать Великих Домов. Раньше Великие Дома решали вопрос «какой Дом самый великий» силой оружия. Теперь, дабы не убивать друг друга, Дома решают вопрос первенства на арене. На арену выпускаются специально подготовленные для схваток животные. Дом, чьё животное победило, получает все — и славу и деньги.

Норн просит Тафа продать ему одно из животных. Таф протестует против такой интерпретации своего рода деятельности, настаивая, что он эколог. Норна это не интересует, он хочет купить свирепое сильное животное. Таф, проконсультировавшись со своим котёнком Даксом, соглашается, заломив невероятную цену. Норн отчаянно торгуется, но ему приходится уступить. Тогда Таф переводит свой «Ковчег» на орбиту Лайоники. Там он клонирует для Норна кобальтовую кошку, которая на арене убивает одного соперника за другим. Дом Норна торжествуют. Другие Дома, прознав о сделке Норна, один за другим обращаются к Тафу. Тот клонирует ещё более страшных чудовищ. Каждая следующая сделка заключается на все более впечатляющие суммы.

Так продолжается до той поры, пока представители всех Двенадцати Домов не перебывали по очереди у Тафа. Выжав алчные Дома досуха, Таф отправляется восвояси. На Лайонике же, из-за вновь ввезённых животных, разражается экологическая катастрофа. «Что хотели, то и получили» — так прокомментировал Таф ситуацию безутешному Норну, — «я эколог, а не продавец зверей, но вы меня не слушали».

Зовите его Моисеем
Некий молодой человек Джайм Крин, будучи сильно пьян, запускает в голову Хэвиланда Тафа бутылкой. Он обзывает его преступником. Таф весьма озадачен. Он не помнит за собой на планете К'теддион никаких действий, которые можно охарактеризовать как «преступление». Поэтому он выкупает Крина из тюрьмы, объявляя его своим должником. Сумма долга (залог, компенсация убытков, моральный ущерб) составляют астрономическую сумму 400 стандартов. Молодому человеку предлагается погасить долг, отвечая на вопросы Тафа.

Оказалось, на соседней планете Милосердие расположена религиозная община Святая Альтруистическая Церковь, возглавляемая неким Моисеем. Община и её лидер проповедуют полный отказ от благ цивилизации, обосновывая свой выбор библейской риторикой. Гнев Моисея вызвали высадка на планету переселенцев и основание ими города Надежды. Новые переселенцы не чураются благ цивилизации, обрабатывают сельскохозяйственные угодья роботами и наслаждаются комфортом. Неудивительно, что многие молодые люди из религиозной общины стали сбегать в город. За короткое время община опустела.

Разъярённый Моисей пригрозил жителям города «казнями египетскими». Горожане над ним только посмеялись. Тогда Моисей приступил к действиям. Вся водопроводная вода окрасилась в красный цвет. Тучи мошкары забили механизмы электрогенераторов и те вышли из строя. Стаи лягушек прыгают по улицам города. Саранча пожрала все зерновые запасы горожан.
Город утратил свой комфорт и горожане стали бежать из него. Беглецов хватают люди Моисея и заставляют жить и работать в условиях каменного века, нещадно эксплуатируя. Джайм Крин обвиняет Тафа, что только тот со своим экозвездолетом мог вызвать упомянутые «казни». Поэтому Крин и обозвал Тафа преступником. Таф обращает внимание, что «казни» Моисея строго локальны и направлены только против жителей города. На самом деле Моисей использовал разработки бывшей лаборатории экологической генетики, обнаруженной им неподалёку от общины.

Таф берётся исправить бесчинство, учиненное религиозным фанатиком ради власти. Он решает победить Моисея его же оружием — с помощью религиозной риторики. Он предстаёт перед Моисеем в виде огненного столба и требует: «Отпусти народ Мой!» Но Моисей только фыркает: «Голограмма!» … и проходит сквозь столб. Тогда Таф приступает к более решительным действиям. Заражает речку, из которой члены общины пьют, микроорганизмами, от чего река превращается по виду, консистенции и запаху в нечто, очень напоминающее кровь. Рыба в реке погибает. Из реки выпрыгивают полчища ядовитых зубастых жаб. От жабьего укуса или даже прикосновения к жабе любой человек умирает. Таф, беседуя с Моисеем, показывает ему фильм, что бы он мог сделать, если бы осуществил все до одной «египетские казни», используя средства своего экозвездолета «Ковчег». Моисей понимает, что проиграл и сдаётся. Колонисты возвращаются в брошенный город, восстанавливают городское хозяйство.

Манна небесная
Хэвиланд Таф ведёт свой экозвездолет «Ковчег» на Сатлэм. Он хочет окончательно рассчитаться за свой долг и передать правительству Сатлэма одиннадцать миллионов стандартов. Однако, на подлёте, его берёт на прицел мощнейшее соединение космического флота Сатлэма. Оказывается, против Сатлэма образовали коалицию планеты Джазбо, Скраймир, Лазурная Троица, Роггандор, Мир Генри и Вандин. Причина образование коалиции — приход к власти на Сатлэме, стоящим на пороге продовольственной катастрофы, экспансионистских сил. Союзники боятся, что Сатлэм захватит эти миры один за другим. Несмотря на то, что Сатлем многократно превосходит каждую из планет по количеству населения и технической мощи, силы примерно уравновесились. Поэтому сторона, захватившая звездолёт Тафа, немедленно оказывается в выигрышном положении. Ведь биозвездолет — это планетарное оружие.

Однако Тафу удаётся сперва заставить стороны заключить перемирие на год, пригрозив воюющим уничтожить их миры один за другим, если они не согласятся. Второе его предложение — демонстрация нового растения — манны, которая неприхотлива и питательна. Это растение, как конструктор, собрана Тафом из генов множества культур с разных планет. Но вместе с отсрочкой голода манна распыляет пыльцу, которая уменьшает деторождаемость. Таким образом, Таф надеется, что продовольственный кризис, вынуждающий Сатлэм вести экспансию, отступит навсегда, а вместе с тем отступит угроза экспансии.

Персонажи

Хэвиланд Таф
Внешность
Очень высокий человек, высотой порядка 2.5 метров. К характерным особенностям внешности относится большой выпирающий живот, а также полное отсутствие волосяного покрова на теле. Кожа Тафа очень бледная, а говорит он басом. Одевается соответствующе условиям планеты, на которой сейчас находится. На своём корабле предпочитает носить просторную одежду и кепочку с эмблемой Экоинженера, которой он гордится.

Привычки
Таф — убеждённый вегетарианец, но при этом он изысканный кулинар, который умеет готовить невероятное количество блюд из овощей. Любимые блюда: грибы под соусом и грибное пиво. Страсть Тафа — это его кошки, в первом рассказе у него на корабле жили Грибок и Опустошительница. Грибок впоследствии умер от болезни, но был клонирован и назван Хаосом. Все следующие кошки Тафа получают имена людских пороков, с которыми он сталкивается, например Паника, Недоверие, Сомнение. Примечательно, что единственное мясо, которое он допускает на своём корабле — это кошачий корм. В свободное время Таф играет со своими кошками, а также в компьютерные игры, смотрит художественные фильмы и изучает историю, хотя в разговоре на тему культуры или искусства всегда говорит, что его знания в этих областях ничтожны. Единственное, к чему Таф открыто выражает ненависть — это прикосновения к нему, поэтому Таф никогда не жмёт руки, не обнимается и т. д. Самые трудные моменты для него — это нахождения в забитом транспорте, толпе и т. д. Хобби Тафа — коллекционирование космических кораблей, даже если те не пригодны к полётам.

Манера общения
Покинув родную планету Таф вёл уединённую жизнь торговца в компании одних лишь кошек, поэтому его манера общения с людьми несколько специфична: во время разговора он целиком замирает, двигая лишь лицом, глаза при этом неотрывно смотрят на собеседника. Говорит Таф медленно и лениво, нередко пытается задавать вопрос или отвечать взглядом или жестом. Во время беседы может поговорить с кем-то из своих кошек, регулярно сопровождающих его, или отвернуться, чтобы пошептаться с ними. Таф не терпит, когда его способности ставят под сомнения, не доверяют ему или оскорбляют, о чём он сразу же заявляет, но быстро прощает обидчика. Начиная с рассказа «Хранители», Тафа сопровождает кот-телепат, который сообщает Тафу о намерениях собеседника, правдивости или лжи его слов, а также предупреждает об опасности. С момента его появления автор убирает из сюжета проблемы Тафа, вызванные его наивностью.

Толли Мьюн
Начальник порта Сатлэма. Действует в рассказах «Хлеба и рыбы», «Повторная помощь» и «Манна небесная». Во время действия третьего сюжета занимает пост Первого Советника — высшая должность в иерархии чиновников Сатлема. Очень высокая по обычным меркам, но гораздо ниже Тафа. Грива седых волос, очень стройная, кожа синяя из-за постоянного приёма противораковых таблеток. Предпочитает невесомость, не любит обувь. Весьма жёсткий человек, однако в отношении Тафа испытывает сентиментальность, что не мешает ей виртуозно торговаться. Два раза спасала Тафа от неминуемой расправы, даже в ущерб своего положения. Полюбила кошек Тафа, хотя сначала испытывала к ним брезгливость, отчуждение и непонимание. Её прозвища: «Ма паучиха», когда все порядке, и «Стальная вдова», если устраивает подчинённым разнос.

См. также

Сборники рассказов
Фантастические повести на английском языке
Повести 1976 года
Повести 1978 года
Повести 1985 года
Повести 1981 года
Джордж Реймонд Ричард Мартин
Литературные сборники 1986 года


The Hush Post: It doesn't appear to be news anymore. Any order given by the National Green Tribunal is challenged in the high court and some form of relief or stay is obtained or jurisdiction issue is raised. Recently, there have many NGT orders that have been challenged in the respective high courts or the Supreme Court, whether it be building bye-laws in Shimla town, new passage to Vaishno Devi shrine, ringing of bells at Amaranth shrine, among a few.
Another ruling of the NGT under scrutiny is its order shutting down leather units in Punjab, which has now been stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The NGT had on December 18, 2017 ordered the closure of 35 units, including 19 tanneries in Jalandhar district.
The Vacation Bench of Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice Rajbir Sehrawat has stayed further proceedings before the NGT's Principal Bench in New Delhi. The order will remain in operation at least till March 9, when the matter would be taken up by a High Court Division Bench.
The directions came on a petition filed by the Punjab Leather Federation and other petitioners against the NGT and other respondents against the interim order passed.
The Bench was told that the NGT's Principal Bench directed the closure of 19 "non-compliant" industries and 16 others already lying closed. Challenging the order, the counsel for the petitioners pointed out that an appeal, converted into a public interest litigation (PIL), was pending before the High Court. As such, the latter was seized of the matter pertaining to effluent control and upgrade of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs). The Bench was also told that the tribunal could not override the High Court's jurisdiction, once the matter was placed before it.


Obituary: Duane A. Little Jr.
AUBURN – Duane A. Little Jr., 56, of Auburn, died on March 17, 2019 at his home in Auburn.
He was born on Nov. 24, 1963 to parents, Duane Little Sr. and Veronica Couture.
He was president of the Maine Blues Society. Duane had two degrees, a Master of Science in business, earned in 1992, and Bachelor of Arts in criminology, earned in 1988.
He enjoyed fishing, reading, and especially loved spending time with his son and grandkids. He had a passion for blues music.
He was predeceased by his mother, Veronica Couture; his grandmother, Helen Marois; and brother, Micheal Little.
Surviving him are his son and daughter-in-law, Sean and Kaitlin Little; grandchildren, Miles, Lucille, Rosalie; brothers and sisters-in-law, Kevin Little and Kristin Caffier, Rick and Sarah Little, Robert and Tina Little, Amanda and Paul Grandmaison, Jessica and Keith O'Donnell; his father, Duane and LaDonna Little; and his former wife, Elaine Little.