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2015 Burma Elections
6 – 12 October: Burma Army Continues to Use the Drugs Trade as a Weapon of War
A new report by Kachin Women's Association – Thailand (KWAT), "Silent Offensive: How Burma Army Strategies are Fuelling the Kachin Drug Crisis" outlines the severity of the drug problem in northern Burma as well as the complicity of the government in the trade. The report shows how the government is using opium-growing militia forces in its operations against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as part of a deal in which these militias are given free rein to produce and sell heroin and other narcotics.
Thus, as the report points out, it is members of either Burma Army controlled Border Guard Forces (BGF) such as the New Democratic Army – Kachin (NDAK), a splinter group of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) that became a BGF in 2009, or People's Militia Forces (PMF) that are heavily involved in offensives against the KIO. Land that is taken by the Burma Army and its proxy forces is then allocated to BGFs/PMFs to utilize however they like. This is often opium cultivation, heroin production and methamphetamine production. To make matters worse these are areas under which the KIO had previously been involved in anti-drug activities but since BGFs or PMFs have taken over, opium cultivation has increased greatly in areas such as Nampaka in northern Shan State and Chipwi in Kachin State.
It is not only armed actors who are complicit in this appalling state of affairs. Government officials benefit from taxing opium growers while leaders or former leaders of BGFs and PMFs heavily involved in the trade are members of parliament. For example, the main opium growing areas in Kachin State, Chiwpwi and Waingmaw, which the NDAK and Burma Army control, are represented in the Union Parliament by the former NDAK leader, Zakhung Ting Ying. The report explains that "in Kachin-populated regions of northern Shan State, the main opium growing areas are in Muse District under the control of the Burma Army and thirteen government People's Militia Forces, three of whose leaders are MPs in the Shan State Assembly." In Ta'ang areas, a local PMF, the 'Pansay Militia' which is led by Kyaw Myint controls the opium trade around Namkan Township. Kyaw Myint is also an MP for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
The complicity of government controlled BGFs in the drug trade is not limited to Kachin State. In a report released in March 2014, Karen Human Rights Group note "an increase in the production and sale of methamphetamines by Tatamadaw-Border Guard Forces (BGF) soldiers in Hpapun and Hpa-an districts."
Thus the involvement of BGFs and PMFs cannot be seen as isolated to the war in Kachin and northern Shan State, but is a systematic and widespread policy. So while the government announced a new policy and action plan for next year to combat the drugs trade, working together with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), including softer penalties for drug users, this is inadequate. The structure of the drugs trade, including the use of drugs as a tool in the war against ethnic nationalities who are armed for political purposes, is not being addressed.
The narcotics trade is being used as a political play to consolidate power by the Burma Government and Burma Army. There is no real political will to stop this lucrative business, but the victims are the people who become dependent on opium, heroin, or methamphetamines, either for their livelihood or because they become addicted, the social effects of which are extremely destructive. The international community must realize that the authorities are very much complicit in the trade and must apply appropriate pressure. If the politics of this issue are ignored, the root causes of why Burma's opium production is second only to Afghanistan and has been increasing every year since 2006 will never be addressed and any kind of eradication program will be rendered useless. After all, it is not just the domestic market where the drugs produced in Burma reach, and thus it is the responsibility of regional and international actors too.
Heavy fighting between the Burma Army and Democratic Karen Benevolent Army take place in Kawkareik and Hlaingbwe townships in Karen State, forcing hundreds of villagers to flee their homes while the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS) denounce Burma Army attacks in Shan State, saying it is undermining the peace process
Inside Burma
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says there was only one political prisoner out of 3,073 detainees released on 7 October in the general amnesty ordered by President Thein Sein
All Burma Federation of Student Unions plans to hold students' emergency meeting over the national education bill in November
Although Burma Army has returned 360 underage boys to their families, many more remain in military barracks, despite the practice being banned two years ago
Three bombs explode in Taunggyi, Shan State injuring two people, although the culprits are as yet unknown
In Arakan State, residents and activists says Burma authorities beat and arrest Rohingyas who refuse to register with immigration officials as Bengalis
New special economic zone to be established in Mae Sot, Thailand a border town with Burma, in order to boost manufacturing activities and cross border trade and Burma and Thailand agree to restart the project of Dawei Special Economic Zone planned for an undeveloped seaside area in Tenasserim Region, which has seen major public outcry over land rights violations and lack of community consultation
Regarding Thailand's Koh Tao murder case allegedly involving two Burmese migrant workers, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insists Burma's President Thein Sein is satisfied with the arrests, despite Thein Sein's call for a clean and fair investigation and Burma's army chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing, calls for justice, urging the Thai Government to ensure the Burma embassy's special investigation team on the case can conduct their work freely to uncover the truth
On the Thailand-Burma border of Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, Thai army seizes 200,000 methamphetamine pills and 13kg of crystal methamphetamine from two men wading across the Mae Sai river from Burma
Following Singapore's senior Minister of State for Law and Education's four-day visit to Burma, Burma and Singapore boost legal cooperation between the two countries through new agreements
Japanese energy company Marubeni Corp. signs a deal with Burma Government to carry out a feasibility study for a coal-fired power plant which could generate as much as 2,000 megawatts of electricity in Burma
Basic Rights are Forgotten
Hope for Myanmar Democracy Now Fading
"Winds of Change" Blow a Gale of Human Rights Abuses
By Burma Partnership
TAKE ACTION! Write to the authorities of Burma, urging them to release human rights defender Phyu Hnin Htwe immediately and unconditionally
With the continue of a sit-in protest until the demands are met, protesters from Michaungkan begin a hunger strike for one day at Maha Bandula Park, calling for the release of a community leader Sein Thein who was arrested and sentenced to an eight-month imprisonment on charge of staging an unauthorized protest in July
On the occasion of Thai prime minister's visit to Burma, a group of protesters led by former political prisoner Nay Myo Zin demonstrate in front of Rangoon City Hall on behalf of two Burmese migrant workers accused of murdering two British tourists on the Thai holiday island of Koh Tao, calling for Thai authorities to ensure a free and fair trial for them
Network Calls for Significant Problems to be Addressed Before Dawei SEZ Project Revived
By Dawei Development Association
Myanmar Takes Global Lead on Company Ownership Transparency
By Global Witness
New report by Kachin Women's Association Thailand: Burmese Military Strategies Fuelling Kachin Drug Crisis
By Kachin Women's Association – Thailand
Replacing Impunity with Accountability
By Karen Human Rights Group
Thai PM's Meet with Myanmar President Must Produce Real Results for Exploited Migrants
By Migrant Worker Rights Network
Heavy Shelling during Renewed Burma Army Offensive Causes Civilian Deaths and Further Displacement of Hundreds in Central Shan State
By Shan Human Rights Foundation
Silent Offensive: How Burma Army Strategies are Fuelling the Kachin Drug Crisis
The Shell Starts to Crack? Real Owners of Myanmar's Oil and Gas Come Forward
This post is in: Weekly Highlights
About Burma Partnership
Burma Partnership is a network of organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region supporting the collective efforts of all peoples working towards democracy, peace, and human rights in Burma. Read more ►
Voices of Refugees – Situation of Burma's Refugees Along the Thailand-Burma Border
"အစိုးရသစ္ႏွင့္ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံ လူ႔အခြင့္အေရး အေျခအေန" အစီရင္ခံစာ
Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2014 – Lao PDR, Myanmar
'If they had hope, they would speak': The Ongoing Use of State-Sponsored Sexual Violence in Burma's Ethnic Communities
Myanmar: A Tipping Point for Rohingya Rights?
MNHRC Monitor
Environmental and Economic Justice
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text:
/* Written by Eric Blake.  */

/* derived from a function in utimens.c */

#include <config.h>

#include "utimens.h"

#include <errno.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>

/* Set the access and modification time stamps of FD (a.k.a. FILE) to be
   TIMESPEC[0] and TIMESPEC[1], respectively; relative to directory DIR.
   FD must be either negative -- in which case it is ignored --
   or a file descriptor that is open on FILE.
   If FD is nonnegative, then FILE can be NULL, which means
   use just futimes (or equivalent) instead of utimes (or equivalent),
   and fail if on an old system without futimes (or equivalent).
   If TIMESPEC is null, set the time stamps to the current time.
   ATFLAG is passed to utimensat if FD is negative or futimens was
   unsupported, which can allow operation on FILE as a symlink.
   Return 0 on success, -1 (setting errno) on failure.  */

int
fdutimensat (int fd, int dir, char const *file, struct timespec const ts[2],
             int atflag)
{
  int result = 1;
  if (0 <= fd)
    result = futimens (fd, ts);
  if (file && (fd < 0 || (result == -1 && errno == ENOSYS)))
    result = utimensat (dir, file, ts, atflag);
  if (result == 1)
    {
      errno = EBADF;
      result = -1;
    }
  return result;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


CENTER VALLEY, Pa., Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aesculap Biologics, LLC is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned website. The new website has a clean, uncluttered design, improved functionality, and enhanced rich content to provide both healthcare professionals and patients with essential information about the NOVOCART® 3D Phase 3 clinical trial.
Aesculap Biologics, LLC was established in January 2012 as a new company focused on biological approaches to the repair and regeneration of diseased or damaged tissues. Using a combination of cells, growth factors and smart biomaterial devices, Aesculap Biologics products are intended to stimulate and support the synthesis of new tissue and enhance the body's own regenerative power.
The Phase 3 trial Aesculap Biologics is currently conducting is working to bring NOVOCART® 3D to the U.S. from Europe, where it originated and has been implanted in more than 9,000 patients since 2003. NOVOCART 3D is a tissue engineered cell-based product designed to repair articular cartilage defects of the knee. Future Aesculap Biologics products under development will focus on a similar approach to treating back pain, the second most common neurological ailment in the US.
The development of regenerative products, such as NOVOCART 3D, requires a diverse range of expertise. Aesculap Biologics is comprised of a group of professionals with experience in cell and molecular biology, clinical trial management, cell-based product manufacturing, materials management, quality assurance and control, and regulatory affairs. Biologic approaches to tissue repair and regeneration represent the future in healthcare worldwide. Aesculap Biologics' mission ensures that we will be ready for the challenge.
Aesculap Biologics, LLC, was established in January 2012 as a division of Aesculap, Inc. and is focused on biological approaches to the repair and regeneration of diseased or damaged tissues. Using a combination of cells, growth factors and smart biomaterial devices, Aesculap Biologics products can stimulate and support the synthesis of new tissue and enhance the body's own regenerative power to improve the quality of patients' lives.


PoPville » Dear PoP – NFL Draft Viewing?
Dear PoP – NFL Draft Viewing?
Hmm, I'd guess every sportsbar in town. Lou's in Columbia Heights, Touchdown on U Street, Ugly Mug on Barracks Row, Maddy's in Dupont.
Are you guys gonna watch the NFL Draft? If you go out – where will you watch?


text:
INTERVIEWUS humanitarian worker in Seoul helps rescue N. Koreans from human trafficking
Tim Peters, founder of Helping Hands Korea, poses in the alleyway near Samgakji Station in Seoul, Jan. 4. The activist belongs to a massive network of activists and missionaries that aims to help North Korean refugees in China escape to freedom. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Teaming up with operatives in China, Tim Peters has saved over 1,000 North Korean lives
By Park Han-sol
Tucked away in a narrow alleyway near Samgakji Station in Seoul, DL Gallery is a curious storefront.
Upon entering it, visitors are greeted with delicate art pieces adorning the walls, from traditional Korean embroidery to pointillist paintings. In one corner of the room are stacked heaps of plastic bags, each of which is full of vegetable seeds of cabbage, spinach, radish, turnip, pumpkin and carrot.
As they strive to grasp the connection between the art and seeds, visitors turn around, only to face the intricate maps of China and North Korea hung side by side. They wonder what is going on there.
For more than a decade, DL Gallery, with its humble and modest look, has been the unofficial headquarters for Helping Hands Korea (HHK) ― a Christian NGO founded by American humanitarian worker Tim Peters in 1996 to help North Koreans who fled their country for food and freedom. The group helped well over 1,000 North Koreans safely reach third countries after they risked their lives crossing the China-North Korea border.
Peters calls it a "war room" ― a covert, symbolic place where complex strategies are conceived for escapees' rescue operations from the Sino-North Korean border to neighboring Southeast Asian nations.
The American activist is part of a massive network of clandestine operatives ― consisting of missionaries, aid workers, ethnic Korean-Chinese and brokers ― that guide the refugees throughout the treacherous journey to life in another country.
Based in Seoul, he remains behind the scenes during these secret missions. As a remote coordinator, he first shortlists the small number of refugees who will be joining the upcoming rescue operations. Based on their degree of vulnerability, the majority of them are women with children, people with disabilities and those, for the most part, don't have connections or relatives in South Korea.
Once the mission begins and field operatives are on the move, Peters maintains close real-time communications with them to track their progress and provide any urgent logistical and financial support that is needed throughout the journey.
"We're moving and moving, this is like a military operation," Peters recently told The Korea Times at the gallery, in between sips of hot tea.
Peters points to a map of China to explain the general escape routes of HHK's rescue operations at the DL Gallery in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
From the Chinese-North Korean border region, the escapees, led by seasoned field operatives, travel clandestinely across mainland China to southern Yunnan province. Then, hours of hiking difficult mountainous terrain to cross the border between China and Laos awaits. It is generally considered safe for the refugees after they manage to cross the Mekong River into Thailand. After getting processed, they can finally be flown to Korea, this time, on its southern side.
While each operation typically takes less than a month to complete, its carefully strategized routes require constant updates and revisions, as unforeseeable situations regarding border security can arise at any time.
When he was younger, the now 71-year-old activist at times went out to the field himself to meet the North Koreans and help them operate safe houses in China. He took part in missions within Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
"But helping them travel, I mean, somebody who looks like I do ― a Westerner, a Caucasian ― is usually not a help," he said. There were some close calls, such as the time he was questioned by the Chinese police, but he managed to avoid detention.
"I'm very fortunate in that way, compared to a lot of my colleagues," he recalled. The less fortunate missionaries and aid workers are sometimes detained and arrested by the police, banned from entry into China, and even allegedly killed by suspected North Korean agents. In the case of Kim Chang-hwan, who was killed by poison in 2011, and Han Choong-ryul, who was found with fatal stab wounds in 2016, both were pastors who assisted defectors in China.
Emphasizing that in most operations, there are "several layers of the onion" between himself and the North Korean escapees, he attributed their successes to the hard work of field agents, who are often risking their lives.
"So much credit goes to the individuals that we work with. I'm really grateful for them, their courage, their bravery and their skill. And some of the tactics involved, it's quite amazing," he said, stopping short of sharing too many details due to the sensitive nature of the work.
He refers to this complex network of passages and safe houses as an East Asian version of the "Underground Railroad" ― clandestine routes established in the United States during the Civil War era, where Black slaves in the South were assisted to safety in the free northern states and Canada.
He sees a fitting comparison between that historical endeavor and HHK's own operation, in terms of the covert systematic organization and spirit in search for human freedom.
Peters, far right, visits a North Korean refugee family hiding in Yanbian Prefecture of Jilin province in late December 2006. Courtesy of Tim Peters
Tim and Sun-mi Peters, back, meet with children, most of whom lost their North Korean mothers due to forced repatriation from China. In 2012, Helping Hands Korea launched an informal foster home for dozens of such children near the provincial border between Jilin and Liaoning provinces. Courtesy of Tim Peters
Peters is a veteran humanitarian worker.
It was 1975 when a young Peters first set foot on South Korean soil. At the age of 25, he had already traveled far outside of his hometown in Michigan to Argentina and Venezuela as a novice evangelical Christian missionary. But little did he know then that a new chapter of his life would begin in Korea.
"There's absolutely no question that my original interest in coming to Korea was related to my faith and wanting to share it," he said.
Although his initial stay in the country lasted only months, it was long enough for him to fall in love with Sun-mi, a devout Christian.
Before long, the newlyweds began dedicating their lives as traveling missionaries. The two lived and volunteered across a few island territories, including American Samoa, where they spent over three years helping Korean tuna fishermen who were seen as intruders by the locals and were the target of harsh treatment and stigma.
They returned to Seoul 13 years later in 1988, then again in 1996. But by then, a drastic transformation had begun to take place in the focus and the modus operandi of the couple's religious mission. They were now bracing themselves to tackle a very different animal from before ― North Korea.
"Much up until this point, my time in Korea was more related to traditional mission work and emphasizing Bible studies and things like that," the activist said. But the news reports that started coming out into the open in the mid-'90s about the North's unprecedented food shortages were what turned his eyes across the border.
Also bitterly referred to as the "Arduous March," the great famine of North Korea was the complex result of the visible decline in agricultural production, economic mismanagement under the new rule of Kim Jong-il and the demise of the regime's patron state, the Soviet Union. From 1994 to 1998, as many as 3 million people are believed to have perished.
Mass starvation would have been "the absolute opposite of the growing prosperity of South Korea," where Peters was based. If he were going to continue his Christian aid work, it was time to turn toward the most vulnerable. "I thought maybe a new door was opening for us."
In 1996, Tim and Sun-mi Peters co-founded HHK to explore the uncharted paths of helping North Koreans in crisis, even if that meant traversing legal gray areas and running the risk of detention or arrest.
What they called the "Ton-a-Month Club" was the very start of its operation. They organized regular fundraisers to purchase dire necessities, such as flour and corn for the famine victims, and set up their own delivery system to insert aid directly into North Korea.
Over the years, HHK explored new iterations of the food aid project by widening the range of items delivered to include medicine, multivitamins, makeshift "nurungji" (scorched rice) that can easily be turned into rice porridge when boiled with minimum heating, and most recently, hundreds of repackaged bags of vegetable seeds as one can see in DL Gallery today.
Bags of Korean cabbage seeds are repackaged and stored in one corner of the Seoul gallery. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
In fact, every Tuesday evening, the gallery turns into a meeting place of volunteers from all walks of life who gather to package seeds for their discreet transport into the North for the malnourished.
But regardless of the types of items, the goal was to bypass North Korean authorities and deliver the seeds directly to the North's most impoverished. "I knew that food distribution in North Korea would be along the lines of loyalty" to the state, Peters said, referring to the "songbun" caste system, according to which North Korea's society is structured.
Among the three main classifications, the "hostile class" that received the least amount of state support tended to reside in the northern outskirts: North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Jagang provinces.
"North Hamgyong, for example, is called the 'Siberia of North Korea,' not only because it's so bitterly cold, but because, like the former Soviet Union, that's where political miscreants, people who voice their criticism of the government and Christians would be banished."
The uneven food distribution meant that Peters had to search actively for "unofficial, alternative" delivery routes to smuggle goods in. He and Sun-mi had to travel to the Sino-North Korean border region.
During their trips to Yanbian prefecture in Jilin and Liaoning province, they began to forge partnerships with members of the ethnic Korean-Chinese community, many of whom have relatives in North Korea and subsequently would be able to establish contacts with them, to serve as smugglers across the porous border.
But as their trips continued, it soon became evident that smuggling food alone wasn't enough to fully address the needs of the famine victims.
A map of North Korea at the gallery indicates some of the key locations for HHK, including general delivery destinations of necessities for North Korean residents. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
North Koreans typically cross the narrow Tumen River to escape from their home country. Seen is an image of the river taken near the bridge between the Chinese town of Tumen and the North Korean town of Namyang.?Courtesy of Tim Peters
"In the process of finding new and innovative ways to send the food in, we began to realize there's a whole other layer to this ― and that's people coming out," he said. The late 1990s was when the aid workers and missionaries began witnessing more and more people crossing the Tumen and Yalu rivers along the border out of desperation.
One group was "kkotjebi," or vagrant street children, often orphans. The nickname, which translates to "flower swallows," was given to these stunted children who would go from garbage can to garbage can to scavenge for food behind restaurants, the way swallows travel between flowers.
Another tragic case involved women, the majority of whom fell victim to human or sex trafficking. As undocumented foreigners without recourse, they were unable to report their situations to the police. This made them an easy target for traffickers to sell off as prostitutes or mail-order brides to older Chinese (or ethnic Korean-Chinese) peasants, typically in the border regions that suffer from severe gender imbalance and inequality.
Their lives were often far from being happily-ever-after tales. Cases of physical abuse were frequent. Their husbands can "just be completely unreliable or a gambler, that's a common thing," he said. "Some would have maybe promised that they would give the woman money to send back to her family, but then often, that wouldn't happen."
Against this backdrop of the destruction of family units and human rights violations, HHK's participation in "Underground Railroad" operations began to take shape.
Through these missions, the NGO continues to help hundreds of refugees journey to freedom to this day.
Pandemic-led discovery in NGO's operations
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hitting the two-year mark, HHK has certainly been no exception in terms of the need to adapt its operations to the new reality ― perhaps even more so than other human rights agencies, as its underground network of safe houses and agents naturally hinges on even the slightest changes in border security in North Korea and China.
Smuggling vegetable seeds into the North is one project that has been inevitably hit hard by the spread of the virus. The reclusive regime was one of the first countries to seal its borders at the start of the pandemic, and it remains on high alert over the recent wave of the Omicron variant.
"We are getting some through when we can, but because North Korea has kept its border closed for virtually two years, it's been a real challenge," he said.
Seen is a portrait of one North Korean child with disabilities, who was able to escape China with his mother through the help of HHK. Peters called the painting, made by his colleague Sean Kang, co-founder of North Korea Human Rights Watch, "Free at last!" Courtesy of Sean Kang and Tim Peters
But at the same time, much to Peters' surprise, the pandemic was precisely what brought certain key discoveries to light which the organization had not come across before.
One was the rising number of people with disabilities who previously managed to escape their home country on their own ― where medical and social protection mechanisms are still lacking and strong stigma remains in place, according to Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ― and amidst the COVID-19 crisis, were now crying out for help in China's border region.
When Chinese public health officials began to randomly check restaurants, factories and farms nationwide, the activist stated, they began to expose the illegal status of these disabled North Koreans who had gone into hiding in such places to survive.
Even if the officials were making visits to simply check their temperatures, refugees, many of whose Chinese language proficiency is limited, "were dreading any questions... terrified that they would be reported and detained."
In addition to these random governmental field inspections, North Korean escapees were further left vulnerable as a number of aid workers and humanitarian organizations in the region providing protection or resources began to withdraw en masse for safety reasons.
"That meant that distress calls started coming faster, at least to us," Peters said. "It was really desperate. And so long as our partners in China were willing to keep going, we decided to respond to this accelerated number of calls."
As a result, HHK became aware of a series of previously undetected profiles of North Korean escapees in the border regions: polio victims, people who became physically disabled after industrial or mining accidents, children with autism or Down's syndrome and grandparents accompanied by their young grandchildren.
The case of grandmother Lee, whose full name cannot be disclosed, and her grandson, was one of them.
Following her daughter-in-law's death in 2014 and her son's subsequent disappearance after his defection to China, the task of raising the young boy suddenly fell on Lee's shoulders ― a financial burden that inevitably proved to be too much for an impoverished senior citizen in North Korea like her. The two decided to cross the border to China in 2019, and Lee soon found a job at a charcoal factory.
However, when the pandemic struck China, the factory management required all employees to bring proof of a negative test result.
"I couldn't get the test as a North Korean defector for the simple reason that I have no official identification papers and I would be revealed as an illegal foreigner," she wrote in her plea for help, which reached the hands of the operatives through the help of a Korean missionary there. "My grandson and I are hiding. I want to take my grandson to Korea."
Fortunately, just weeks after their call for help, the two became one of the latest escapees whom Peters' organization was able to safely assist out of China.
"I'll say that what happened [in 2020] was nothing short of miraculous. We had more evacuations of refugees [that] year than any other single year," Peters said.
Posts describing the reality of the stateless, orphaned children whose North Koreans mothers have been forcibly repatriated from China are hung at the gallery next to the traditional embroidery gifted by one North Korean refugee who escaped to safety through the help of HHK. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
But of course, this recent upsurge in the number of particularly vulnerable individuals who would rather undertake the perilous journey to freedom than to eke out a living in their home country is also a stark indicator of how serious things are getting in the apparently already-starving nation.
"It's surprising to see that even people in their 60s and sometimes 70s have felt such desperation that they figured that they're going to take the risk to go to China," the activist stated. It could be a sign of yet another simmering socioeconomic shift in North Korean society that is beginning to materialize in the country's long-neglected northeastern provinces.
Against this backdrop, in Peters' eyes, there still remains so much to be done ― both a statement and a plea he has made time and time again.
"I've found plenty to keep me busy for 25 years. This is something that more people need to be doing," he said.
"One function I'm playing just as a small NGO is that I'm bringing the escapees here and putting them on the doorsteps of the local church or local civil society… so that they can see, here's a flesh-and-blood individual and oh my gosh, look at what they've been through."
hansolp@koreatimes.co.kr More articles by this reporter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As millions of people across the globe observed World Earth Day on April 22 under the theme 'End Plastic Pollution', Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) reported the removal of 8,299 bags of garbage, comprising mainly plastics, from the Refuge Cay mangroves in Kingston.
This effort was the first phase of a clean-up and rehabilitation project sponsored by KFTL and executed by The University of the West Indies Centre for Marine Sciences and the Port Royal Marine Laboratory. The cleaning started on January 8, 2018 and lasted six weeks.
In addition to the bags of garbage, other items cleared included 30 refrigerators, 13 cooking gas cylinders, five washing machines and more than 50 tyres. Miscellaneous items such as car bumpers, crates, buckets, a Scuba tank, nets, fishing lines and small appliances were also removed.
The second phase of the project, the installation of barriers to prevent further garbage build-up on the cay, was completed on March 23, 2018. The third phase, which involves fisherfolk removing garbage built up in the barriers on a monthly basis, commenced in April 2018, while the fourth phase, the replanting of mangrove saplings, is slated to begin this month, KFTL said in a news release.
The company said that following on these gains, it has commenced initiatives at its facility to help end plastic pollution. These include removing single-use plastic straws from its canteen and embarking on a recycling campaign, which will encourage staff to separate various waste streams, including plastic. Moreover, plans have been initiated to replace the company's supply of styrofoam containers with biodegradable alternatives.
The Recycling Partners of Jamaica reported that between March 2014 and March 2017 it recovered more then 3.3 million pounds of plastics — or over 100 million bottles — from the environment in Jamaica.
Earth Day Network, the organisation that leads Earth Day observations worldwide, has reported that more than 300 million tons of plastic are sold globally each year, 90 per cent of which is thrown away.


Giancarlo Fasolo, VP of Go To Market at Motorola Mobility, talks about wearable technology created by Motorola. He elaborates on the fact that wearing something like a smartwatch or carrying a smartphone has a lot to do with the user's lifestyle.
Giancarlo points out at the role the maker movement has had in allowing people to choose different customization for their devices. The Moto Maker in the Motorola website gives people the ability to configure their own kind of phone.
Users should be able to talk to their phones without having to touch the devices. Motorola Mobility has a natural language processor that identifies different accents. Giancarlo says that a phone should be able to adapt itself according to the lifestyle of the user.


text:
Posted on April 25, 2013 by POMANDP
A season of thrills in Iresi
Nigerian Compass
Friday, 19 April 2013 00:00
Residential buildings, some of them, built over a hundred years ago, lined the lone road that snakes through the ancient city.
Old men and women, some holding walking sticks taller than their frail, bending, physique and some accosted by their siblings, formed a sight of the crowd that besieged Adeniran Museum and Gallery, home of the Adenirans, christened "Ile Olowoye", in Iresi, Osun State where Oyeladeniran Foundation for Community Development held its annual Iresi Socio-Cultural Festival. The three day event which kicked off with a musical night climaxed with a night out the second day to usher participants as well as the entire community into the New Year.
The OFCOD was established to celebrate Late Pa and Mrs Adeniran Awoniyi who were said to have been role models in the communities where they lived in the course of their sojourn on earth. The sole aim of the foundation, according to the festival coordinator, Debo Adeniran, is therefore to reawaken the socio-cultural heritage of the Adeniran family, Iresi community as well as that of the Yoruba nation which is believed to have propelled their forebears to utilize the value of self worth to engage in self help that galvanized them to became self reliant without resorting to fraudulent practices and corruption that is now endemic and controls the sensibilities of the teeming youths. Debo is the Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL).
Created 812 years ago, a visit into the ancient town of Iresi reveals that it is a community that has suffered untold neglect in the past. Almost all the houses that dominated the community are ramshackle. Their rusty roof assaults the face as you move round the rocky town where teenagers and adolescents exhibits wanton disregard to decorum. No one needs any conviction that this is a community where culture is already bidding farewell to a teeming youths that have no place for it. And it is as a result of this that OFCOD presents itself as a timely voice to salvage a race that is fast declining in the lane of the rich culture that once formed the symbol of the community.
"This town was founded in 1200 AD and ever since then; we have been living peacefully together. In the area of culture, Iresi is known to be strict observer of laid down law and order. We have how we do our things and we have been following this until civilization crept in to erode many things.
This has not been a good experience because things are no longer working the way it used to be. I am particularly happy and my hope is raised with the concept being brought forward by the Oyeladeniran Foundation for Community Development to revisit our culture with a view to aligning it with modern realities," says His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Ibiloye, the Oluresi of Iresi.
According to him, though it is true that the community has witnessed a dose of neglect in the past, hope abounds that there are better days ahead with the positive gesture towards development by some indigenes as well as the incumbent government of Osun State, led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. These better days will not be completed without the king having a befitting palace to go with his title. Currently, the king dwells in an ancient palace with space not enough to contain the traditional artifacts expected in the abode of a renowned Oba like the Oluresi. Though, the town has taken the initiative to build an ultra-modern palace for the king, development on the building is intermittently being stunted by lack of fund, making the completion of the palace fast becoming a mirage.
However, the dull atmosphere that enveloped the ancient community came alive on the eve of the OFCOD event when local musicians were given the opportunity to display their talents by the organizers at the Olowoye compound. It was a night of fun as the youthful Fuji musicians took turn to display their talents.
Children and teenagers gathered on the lone road to listen to the lyrics as well as applaud their favorites in a show that also featured some superiority context amongst a handful of others who used their songs to assert their assumed class and even went ahead to condemn those they feel is challenging their status. The show had to be concluded early enough to give time for relaxation for the kick off of the major event the following morning.
The kick off day was a carnival of sort. The entire youth in the sprawling community of Iresi defied church bells that were ringing at various points to gather at the Olowoye Compound for a combined jog to the take off point at Orita Igbajo where about 200 youths comprising male and female are to race to Oke-Ode, Iresi, a distant of about 6 kilometers. From the Olowoye compound, the crowd was a mish mash of the good, the bad and the ugly.
While some trimmed youths dressed smartly in sports dress with sneakers to suit the athletic exercise, some men, almost approaching fifty don various shades of flabby dresses and were bent on participating in the event even when they did not comply with the mandatory free registration that preceded the contest. Okanlawon, 43, clad in Ankara sewn into a "buba and sokoto" is one of this set of people who out of desperation to contest at the eleventh hour provided the needed comic relief for the hectic exercise.
Okanlawon, it was learnt, got wind that OFCOD would be going a step further in the2012 event to give cash reward to winners in the activities lined up for the festival as he was returning to bed. He looked at the time and it was 10:14 pm. This time in a place like Iresi is too late a time to go into any negotiation concerning a sporting event that is billed to kick off the following morning. He lied down uneasily waiting for the first cock to crow in the morning to see if he could still wriggle out a last minute registration.
Not minding the flabby dress he put on, he rushed out of his room that morning and headed straight for Olowoye compound where he approached Mrs Kehinde Adeniran-Adigun, family secretary, of his intention to participate in the contest. But because the number on hand had already surpassed what was anticipated by the organizers, Okanlawon's desire could not be met.
For Mrs Adeniran-Adigun to have even granted such request is dangerous considering the age and physique of Okanlawon whose look tells of a man who is just recovering from the batters of alcohol and seemingly malnourished. "We are through with registration and I don't think you can even be registered if there were chances considering your age and the fact that you don't look like somebody that is prepared for the contest judging by your mode of dressing," she had politely responded.
If Okanlawon would agree that his dressing did not conform to the ones adorned by other youths around him, he was certainly not going to accept that he was spent and could not compete with the youths. The opportunity to prove this presented itself as the ambulance and other vehicles to accost the racers proceeded from the Olowoye compound to the take off point at Orita Igbajo with the officials.
Knowing that the officials were already seated and were heading for the take off point which is a distance of about 4 kilometers, Okanlawon began a race with the vehicles in a show of prove that he was still agile and fit for the contest. He actually made it to the point ahead of the vehicles that conveyed the officials and the band that were to accost the athletes.
But fatigue set in at the end of the race. Okanlawon went dazed and fell down like a log of wood. It took the frantic effort of participants who were at the point ahead of the officials to revive him. At the take off time, he was still gasping for breath under a tree's shade in bid to gain full recovery.
The Marathon race went well with no casualty.
At the end of the contest, Ismaila Oladapo came top while Bode Odewale and Akinrinade Michael came second and third respectively. It was Akinrinade Michael that came top in the mountaineering race. According to some of Oladapo's peers who spoke to Nigerian Compass, he has been a rare talent in sports. From football to athletics, he was said to have carved a niche for himself.
The entire community spoke of him as an exemplary sportsman with natural talents. "You don't need to push him before he put in his best when it comes to sporting activities. At the start of the Marathon race, any follower of Ismaila will know that he is going to come top because he has been engaging himself in tasks harder than this even when there is no competition in which anything would be won. This is just a past time to him," says one of the competitors in the early morning Marathon race.
The sports events gave way for an inter-lineal cultural competition which commenced 5:00 pm and spanned to the night. At the cultural event, the Iresi people in their different lineage and groups displayed their interests, knowledge, talents and skills in dressing, music, dance, drama, poetry, speech making, trade, foods, arts and crafts. In all, eight groups featured in the display of oral poetry and dance. The local hunters group was first to take the stage and was followed by the ancient Agbe group, Ifelodun group, Ajegunle group, Solabomi group, Omolere group, Orebe group and Ogundele olusegun, an Ewi (Yoruba poetry) exponent took their turns thereafter.
The groups were in their best and the crowd in the Ebekun Town Hall where the event took place was spell bound throughout the sessions. At last, the Agbe group came top as a result of its unrivaled coordination and a unique dance steps to match their Agbe output. The group was followed by the Ajegunle Group which came second while the local hunters group came third.
The last day's event was attended by the Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as is the tradition. A paper tagged "Reinventing socio-cultural practices as means of sustaining individual and communal economy," delivered by Prof. Samuel Ayodele of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, in Osun State was an eye opener for a people whose youths are already becoming oblivion of the rich and safeguarding customs that have been channeling the course of the community over the years.
If OFCOD's aim is to impact discipline to the youths of Iresi and re-oxygenate the dying rich culture of the people, then it is achieving this faster than anticipated. Many of the youths who spoke to Nigerian Compass after the event could not hide their joy and satisfaction since the commencement of the festival in 2011. According to them, OFCOD has brought hope to them where they thought only despair exists.
Oladapo who won the Marathon race said it is now he knows that his talent can push him to limelight if more hard work is thrown into it. "Nobody ever think that a day will come when one of our indigenes will deem it fit to come and do talents search such as this. We shall for ever be grateful to Comrade Debo Adeniran for this initiative and shall for ever remain ardent supporters of OFCOD through which this landmark discovery is being unfolded."
The event closed with a traditional night out where only traditional dresses are allowed.
Members of the community also came with lineal traditional food. They danced themselves to daylight in an event they wished should have a rewind. But since everything that has a beginning must surely end, the band stopped the music seized and the curtain for the 2012 Oyeladeniran socio-cultural festival was drawn. All eyes are again fixed for another edition, this year, when the youths will once again have the opportunity to gather together in love and at the same time have their talents propped up.
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text:
M551 Sheridan
Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle (1968)
Land Systems / Battlefield
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Front left side view of the M551 Sheridan
Front view of an M551 Sheridan being loaded onto a C-130 transport; turret in stowed position
An M551 Sheridan is unloaded onto a beach via landing craft
Rear right side view of an M551 Sheridan; note flat engine cover
An M551 Sheridan made up to look like an enemy T-72 Main Battle Tank
An M551 Sheridan made up to look like an enemy BMP-1 Armored Personnel Carrier
An M551 Sheridan made up to look like an enemy ZSU-2-34 anti-aircraft system
The M551 Sheridan was designed as a true light tank, droppable by parachute from aircraft, and featured a little-used amphibious capability.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/03/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.
The M551 General Sheridan (or simply "Sheridan") was a light-armored and heavily-armed portable tank system utilized by the United States Army. The system evolved from the need to counter a similar Soviet design of the time and was thrown into combat deployment during the Vietnam War. While results there were relatively mixed to some extent (an argument can be made that the Sheridan was never meant for this type of intimate jungle-based combat), the Sheridan went on to prove highly-successful in ensuing deployments involving direct enemy action in more urban environments. The qualities of this "little" system shown clear and her firepower and air-droppable qualities proved highly-effective when used in within her limitations and designed role. While her Shillelagh missiles never really quite lived up to their billing (both figuratively and financially), her contributions to the American Army in the remaining decades of the Cold War are still of note.
The origins of the M551 Sheridan actually lay in the years following the close of World War 2. During that conflict, tanks were categorized by weight in classes aptly titled Light, Medium and Heavy characterized respectively by the M5 Stuart, M4 Sherman and M26 Pershing as examples (the M26 was later added into the Medium tank class). In late 1945, the American War Department Equipment Board sought to bring about changes that, in turn, would bring about something of a new face for the American Army. This included re-envisioning the "light tank" class that, during the war, had been primarily made up of the M24 Chaffee. The Board now categorized this class of light tank further beyond their reconnaissance and light action roles and devised that any new and similar developments be ready for the challenges of the modern battlefield beyond World War 2 Europe. This new light tank should have adequate armor protection - especially where the front hull is concerned - while maintaining an operating weight no higher than 25 tons. The tank system should be well-armed with a main gun potent enough to coincide with the type of "light" action it could face.
The Walker Bulldog - Serviceable, But Not Quite There...
While the M24 Chaffee was a success in itself, it never truly sported a powerful enough armament to best well-armored targets - especially those that the Germans were unleashing towards the end of the war. From the 1945 revision came forth the M41 Walker Bulldog in 1949, a light air-droppable tank accepted into service as a direct replacement for the M24 Chaffee. The M41 sported a more powerful main gun - this in the form of the long barrel 76mm M32 - and featured armor 1.5 inches at its thickest while taking into account lessons learned from World War 2 armored warfare. By 1953, the Walker Bulldog had all but eclipsed the M24's existence in the American Army inventory. While the M41 Walker Bulldog proved successful in most respects, the system also proved overweight for its air-drop role and its loud Continental gasoline engine was far from economical. Bulldogs were also known to have short lifespans in service and were only modestly better than the M24 Chaffees they replaced - perhaps an interim solution at best. In short, the Walker Bulldog was a better alternative to the M24 Chaffee but it was not the light tank system that the American military was looking for. On November 9th, 1950, the US Army did away with categorizing their tanks based on weight and instead focused their organization on the main gun caliber. The light, medium and heavy tank classes of World War 2 were no more.
By 1952, a new design was being approached to replace the M41 Walker Bulldog. The M24 Chaffee weighed in at 18 tons while the M41 Walker Bulldog bested 23.5 tons. This new design would again settle on an 18-ton weight limit and requests for proposals went out, ultimately leading to the selection of Aircraft Armaments, Incorporated's (AAI) smallish, low-profile "T92" with its 76mm gun. The tank's size was truly what the doctor had ordered but a change half-way across the world would become the T92's undoing.
The Soviet PT-76 Changes Everything
As it stood, the Soviets had taken development of a new light tank project of their own. The major difference here is that the Soviet requirement called for a similar system with full amphibious capabilities. While the AAI design was portable enough and armed/armored appropriately for the task, the tank was simply too small to make effectively buoyant (and therefore amphibious) without rewriting much of the existing design. By June of 1958, the T92 project was cancelled altogether. The aforementioned Soviet design - as fate would have it - went on to become the widely-exported and successful PT-76. This also proved that the Cold War could be won by more means that just military might and political pressures - you could best your enemy's intentions by staying a full step ahead in terms of development.
The XM551 is Given Life
With the AAI product dead, a new requirement for an Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle (since the "light tank" class was all but extinct in the American Army, a new classification other than Main Battle Tank was needed) sprung up in July of 1959 to fulfill the Army role of an air-droppable system with amphibious qualities. No fewer than twelve companies all vied for the potential contract with Cadillac officially winning out in 1960. The new tank system based on Cadillac's design was afforded the designation of "XM551" to denote its developmental stage and future official designation (M551). In many respects, the design of the XM551 was being developed alongside the details being acquired about the Soviet PT-76. The PT-76 was amphibious, offered full cross-country support, supplied potent firepower for its crew and could ferry infantrymen to the frontlines as needed. By comparison, the US Army inventory had no one such vehicle that could match this foreign product's resume.
The name "Sheridan" was officially accepted into the tank's designation scheme a year later. Since the early days of (indirect) American involvement in World War 2 via Lend-Lease, the British began a habit of naming their American-produced tanks after famous Civil War generals (Stuart, Lee, Grant, Sherman, etc...). As such, the US Army maintained (and even does so to this day with the Patton, Abrams and Bradley) the same system of naming its tanks. The XM551 "General Sheridan" was therefore named after Civil War General Phillip Sherman.
Twelve XM551 pilot vehicles (prototypes) were ordered. Early form Sheridans had water jets for wading and a Detroit Diesel-brand 6V53 series engine. The initial pilot model was made available in June of 1962 and bore a large (though not exact) resemblance to the production models to come. By 1965, the production contract had been handed over, this occurring before the vehicle had even been given the complete green light for service. By the end of 1966, the Sheridan was finally cleared for operational use.
Sheridan Walk-Around
Design of the Sheridan was distinct from any previous American tank offering. The system fielded five road wheels to a side and a low-profile, angular turret which was situated about the center of the upper hull. The forward hull featured a lo-angled sloping glacis plate while the sides of the hull were straight-faced - though still maintaining a low surface area. The hull itself was constructed of welded aluminum to keep weight in check though the turret was of all steel for protection purposes. The turret system could be hoisted out of the hull via an engineer vehicle's crane and set aside for relatively easy access when maintaining (turret connections had to be severed first). This construction and design combination meant that the Sheridan weighed in at just under 17 tons and stood no higher than 8 feet tall. The cramped internal workings provided home to four personnel made up of the driver, commander, gunner and loader - quite conventional even by modern standards though made different from her World War heritage by the lack of a bow gunner.
The driver was situated in the front center hull just in front of the 360-degree traversing power turret with entry/exit made possible by his own hatch. The other three crewmembers all occupied their respective positions within the turret. As with most tanks (the immediate exception being the modern Israeli Merkava series) the engine and transmission were set in the rear of the vehicle hull. Suspension was of the torsion-bar variety and featured rubber-tired road wheels (five to a side). The track idler was set to the front while the drive sprocket was at the rear. Interestingly enough, no return rollers were provided for the tracks, hence its tight appearance along the sides.
Walking on Water (or How a Tank Swims)
Perhaps the most notable of all the Sheridans design additions came in the form of the collapsible flotation screen buried within the extreme edges of the hull, giving the hull edges their distinct rounded appearance. The crew could erect this screen around the upper perimeter of their Sheridan and utilize the tanks track system to gently (and slowly) wade through water. Vision was only allowed through the forward part of this screen via two (and upper and lower) clear rectangular areas in the canvas. A water jet-type approach was originally conceived (and included on early pilot vehicles) to accomplish water traversing but this was ultimately dropped in favor of using the tanks own tracks.
Power was derived from a General Motors 6V53T series 6-cylinder supercharged diesel engine (Cadillac was itself a division of General Motors). Engine output was 300 horsepower and provided top speeds of 43 miles-per-hour on roads and up to 3.6 miles-per-hour when wading through calm waters. The M551 maintained an excellent power-to-weight ratio though it suffered from being thinly armed - a sacrifice needed to make the 18-ton-or-less requirement and still be air-droppable for airborne elements. Its thin armor was most often times addressed in the field by crews as was the case in World War 2.
Parachuting Sheridans
As an air-portable/air-droppable light tank, the Sheridan was designed to be brought to the battlefield by air. This action could be accomplished by unloading the vehicle through the rear ramp of a C-130 (or even the larger C-141) transports. The tank system would be rigged atop a specially-modified pallets and lowered by parachute to the ground. Mind you this required the aircraft to fly at low altitude and the Sheridan crew to be waiting on the ground (not sitting inside their Sheridans during the drop). Once landed, the Sheridan crew would remove all connections to the parachute and pallets and drive their Sheridan away to action.
The following insight concerning Sheridan LVAD and LAPES is courtesy of Colonel Dan Miller, member of the 3-73 Armor, 82nd Airborne Division from 1985 through 1987:
"Sheridans could be air-dropped by one of two different ways. The first was the Low-Velocity Air Drop (LVAD - also known as "Heavy Drop") and consisted of a Sheridan being set onto a pallets and dropped out of any conventional USAF cargo aircraft at about 1,500 feet. From there, the Sheridan would descend via no fewer than seven G-11 type cargo parachutes until it reached the ground. This method of insertion required that all G-11 parachutes function properly or there was a risk of losing the entire Sheridan / pallets system in the process. As USAF personnel needed no specialized certification for this insertion process, it became the preferred method of entry for airdropped Sheridans in the long run.
The second method became the Low-Altitude Parachute System (or LAPES) used in conjunction with a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport. This method again required the Sheridan to mount a pallets but was only fitted with a single extraction chute. The C-130 would fly extremely low to the ground - no more than 15 feet in fact - and preferably over flat terrain and at a pre-required speed. The distance required for such an insertion equaled several hundred meters. The Sheridans were then dropped out with chute in tow. As one might expect, this particular method of entry proved the more dangerous of the two and the C-130 was the only such USAF aircraft cleared for LAPES operations - injuries and even deaths were attributed to these operations. Crews part of such an airdrop would require specialized training as well, in both day and night LAPES actions, and needed regular certification in the process."
In whole, either airborne insertion method for Sheridans involved some level of a risky action and the scene itself was quite impressive considering the sight of low-flying transports dumping out a 17-ton tank - a far cry from the M24 Chaffees in World War 2.
The Goods: Armament
Armament of the Sheridan centered around its potent M81E1 rifled 152mm main gun that could double as a launcher for the Ford-built MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank/anti-fortification missile. In fact, the main gun was originally designed with the primary role of it being a launcher first, with the cannon aspect of the system as a secondary use. In reality, the cannon aspect proved to be a primary function when the Sheridan was finally put into action. It is worth noting the main gun's rather short length and lack of a muzzle brake as well. The main gun was afforded 20 projectile rounds but these rounds had a temperamental attribute as "combustible" cartridge cases. They proved extremely susceptible to humidity in that any such moisture could compromise the round, making them more a danger to the Sheridan crew than to any enemy in the crosshairs. This was eventually rectified by the use of special ammunition covers that were removed immediately before loading a round. Ammunition types available to the crew were M409 High-Explosive, Anti-Tank (HEAT), M411 TP (Training) and M625 Canister round, the latter comprised of 10,000 internal flechettes. Early Sheridans featured an open breech scavenger system tube (in which the barrel appears to "grow" in diameter from barrel end to its base) while later Sheridans sported safer close-breech scavenger system tube (a cleaner, smooth-sided barrel of similar length).
The Ford Shillelagh
8 x MGM-51 Shillelagh ready-to-fire missiles would have been standard but their cost and lack of targets in Vietnam meant that they weren't even shipped to the theater. The Shillelagh was development of Ford and proved expensive and somewhat of a disappointment in the end. Despite it being made available by the time of the Vietnam War, the missile was not even used in anger until the Gulf War in 1990, to which the missile was unleashed successfully on Iraqi fortified bunkers (on at least two reported occasions). Despite the anti-tank prowess of the missile's design, the Sheridan was still a "light" tank and no match for squaring off head-to-head against modern Soviet T-72s in the conflict. As such, their role still remained that of reconnaissance. Though some 88,000 Shillelagh missiles were produced, barely a fraction of these were ever fired. The BGM-71 TOW's arrival made sure that the Shillelagh was all but extinct.
Additionally, crew protection was served through 1 x 12.7mm M2HB heavy commander's heavy machine gun and a 1 x 7.62mm co-axial machine gun (early models were fitted with the M73/M219 co-axial system whilst later ones had the M240C system in its place). The 12.7mm machine gun was affixed to the commander's cupola while the 7.62mm armament was fitted as a co-axial unit alongside the main gun and operated by the gunner. While early Sheridans sported protection-less machine gun cupolas, many Sheridans in Vietnam added M113 APC-type ACAV machine gun "shields" to their .50 caliber stations. Others also made use of an additional external M60 7.62mm machine gun for the loader (some complete with applicable ACAV shielding), an additional M2HB .50 caliber heavy machine gun as well as searchlights later added. 8 x smoke grenade dischargers were set to the front sides of the turret, four in a row to a turret side.
Sheridans in Vietnam
As early as 1966 there was talk of sending these new tanks to the combat warzones of Vietnam, Army personnel eager to see how the new system would fare. However, delays were almost inevitable with the type's specialized ammunition and armament. Additionally, while the Germans in World War 2 and the Soviets/North Koreans in the Cold War maintained a substantial collection of armored vehicles for which the high-priced Shillelagh missile was designed to defeat, it was a different matter in the jungles of Vietnam where tank-on-tank battles seemed less likely if at all. While a solution was eventually found to make the combustion rounds usable in the thick of combat (by use of special ammunition covers removed before firing), the Sheridan was finally cleared for service in the bush. 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry and 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment were all equipped with Sheridans, replacing their collections of M113 armored personnel carriers (the 11th) and M48 Pattons (the 4th) in the process, and made ready for service in Vietnam in 1968. In January of 1969, no fewer than 54 Sheridans arrived in Vietnam, sans their complicated missile systems of course.
As the war progressed, Sheridans proved to have some misgivings during her stay in the theater. Her thin belly armor proved highly susceptible to enemy landmines, generally the method of warfare as selected by the North Vietnamese. As a consequence, Sheridan crews sometimes opted to sit atop their rides, completely exposed to small arms fire, than to be trapped inside of the Sheridans walls (this was also a matter of comfort, considering the humidity and heat of the region). It was not uncommon for crews to add additional bolt-on steel armoring along the underside of the hull, at the risk of covering up the escape hatch for the driver. The thick brush of Vietnam soon began taking their toll against the fragile Sheridans, leading up to a rise in maintenance and mechanical headaches. Many engines and drive trains were simply overworked when tackling what could be miles and miles of heavy thick brush. The dust of Vietnam was also quick to collect on the outer hull, eventually making its home within the various subsystems while mud proved a constant problem to suspension systems and tracks. M551's operated in conjunction with M113 armored personnel carriers in reconnaissance teams.
Along with land mine warfare, the Vietcong were also lethal with attacks using their Soviet RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades). Though primitive in concept, these man-portable systems launched an explosive rocket grenade at distance to defeat enemy armor. As the Sheridan was designed from the outset to be a light system, it was inherently thinly-armored by nature. This meant that the RPG's tank-killing properties could be used to good effect when needed. To make matters worse, the combustible projectiles stored within the Sheridan tank would more often than not lead to a complete Sheridan loss - unfortunately including crew. As such, Sheridan crews were quick to adapt rather simplistic fences made of chain link to help defeat such dangers - or at least deflate their lethal effects to an extent. This fencing was most often times added to the front hull via "homemade" supports, an area most likely to encounter such enemy attack. Storage space within the Sheridan also proved a premium and often led to crews stowing much of their gear, ammunition or other supplies (including fuel canisters, track links and cots) externally on either the turret bustle rack or on the flat hull rear atop the engine.
Seeing it that tank-versus-tank battles were not to be in Vietnam, the main gun fire power of the 152mm M81 system proved rather effective against most anything on the battlefield including fortifications - though the Sheridan's original sighting system offered little assistance to her gunners. The M625 Canister was particularly effective (it contained 10,000 flechettes!) for "cutting out" areas of dense thicket. Make no mistake about it - the M81 was a powerful gun when the situation called for it. Its massive recoil could easily jolt the system rearwards, lifting the front road wheels clear off the ground. In essence, the Sheridan was a Light Tank with the firepower of a Main Battle Tank. Similarly, the heavy caliber 12.7mm machine gun had the power to cut a man in half and take on light-armored vehicles as well. The tanks relatively small size made it ideal for concealment (particularly in areas of tall grass) when traveling or finding cover.
The Improved Sheridan
On April 22nd, 1971, 505 Hughes AN/VVG-1 laser range finders were purchased by the US Army to help improve the Sheridan sighting system when firing of the main gun. This effectively created a new Sheridan designation in the M551A1 to help distinguish this new form from her base one. Externally, these systems were further distinguished from previous production Sheridans by the laser designation system mounted just underneath the commander's 12.7mm machine gun. A new M127A1 telescope was also added as part of the sighting upgrade.
In all, some 200 M551 Sheridans made their way to Vietnam. Ironically, the amphibious capabilities were rarely used in the thick jungle setting. Nevertheless, its contributions to the conflict are what most people remember of the Sheridan legacy.
The Sheridan, Post-War
With the Vietnam War over for some years by this time, the Sheridan was due for some modernization. In 1977, she had her reliability improved through the implementation of a revised drive sprocket and engine block. Her smoke grenade launchers were now fitted in quadruple mountings, four to a turret side, as opposed to the original's single-file arrangement. Her throttle was reworked and her original co-axial 7.62mm machine gun was replaced by the standard M240 general purpose machine gun system. In all, these changes addressed some issues of the vehicle as encountered in Vietnam and made for a marked improvement in performance (albeit slightly heavier than the original Sheridan), no doubt extending her usefulness.
Operation Just Cause
In America's bid to depose Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in Operation Just Cause in December of 1989, the Sheridan was called into action once again - her first since the days of the Vietnam War. In the ensuing action, four Sheridans were covertly airlifted into the country and these were later joined by eight more (the eight were actually from a group of 10 air-dropped Sheridans - two being lost in the drops, the first was salvageable while the second purposely blown up with irreparable damage). Incidentally, these air-dropped Sheridans garnered Charlie Company, 3/73rd Armor a spot in armored warfare history when they became the first tanks to be "dropped" into a combat zone on December 20th, 1989. Their landing took place at Torrijos-Tocumen International Airport. Once again, the main guns proved highly effective in silencing the defenses and blockades of the Panamanian Army. These Sheridans also showcased their new smoke grenade discharger arrangement and were fitted with the M60A3 Tank Thermal Sight (TTS), assisting the gunners aim substantially over original Sheridans. Sheridans with the TTS system were further designated as M551A1(TTS) to differentiate the improvement.
The M551 was revered in her actions during Operation Just Cause, in particular by her lethal 152mm main gun. The Sheridan proved a versatile mount and its relatively compact size ensured that it could go where larger tank systems were restricted. In many ways, the limitations as seen in the image of a Sheridan trudging through foreign territory in Vietnam were gradually undone by the Sheridan in Panama. The M551 proved a vital and flexible implement in the opening rounds of the action and impressed warplanners and commanders alike thanks to her versatility and firepower.
The 82nd Airborne Embraces the Sheridan
While most other frontline units stopped operational use of Sheridans as the decades rolled on, the 82nd Airborne Division stayed true to their mount. Most importantly, the tank was still an air droppable resource that worked well within the confines of an airborne unit - the only such system in the US Army inventory (even to this day, though the Sheridan is no longer in active service). It could (relatively) easily fit inside of the cargo bay of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules and be air-dropped to waiting airborne personnel on the ground, adding immediate fire support to advancing infantry squads.
Operation Desert Shield
M551 Sheridans were deployed to ally Saudi Arabia in 1990 for Operation Desert Storm, a massive coalition build-up of force enacted to remove Saddam Hussein's army from their illegal take-over of Kuwait. In fact, Sheridans actually represented some of the earliest units to arrive in the theater, this accomplished through use of the massive Lockheed C-5 Galaxy transports (C-141 transports were also cleared for use by Sheridans by the way). While early arriving Sheridans still sported their European camouflage colors, they were eventually converted to a three-color "desert-friendly" pattern that was eons away from their olive shade used during the Vietnam days. When they needed to move intra-theater, the C-130 was ready to take the little machines airborne. By the end of the year, Sheridans in the Gulf were sporting the Shillelagh anti-tank missiles not brought to Vietnam in preparation for facing off against Hussein's impressive collection of armor. Driver stations were also improved by the inclusion of the same night vision system as found on the M2 Bradley carriers.
The Sheridans in the gulf - for the most part - retained their visual similarities to their Vietnam counterparts. Thanks to its actions in that previous conflict, the cupola shielding was now standard fare for crew protection. Improvements to the sighting system by this time were also a large step forward in the Sheridan's evolution. External stowage of essential and non-essential gear was still the norm. The fact that the system was also nearly a quarter of a century old was something special to note as well - considering the digital nature of the Gulf War to come, complete with stealth fighters, laser-guided bombs and heavy use of digital implements.
Beyond Sheridan
Apart from direct war participation, the Sheridan was utilized in Cold War exercises by American personnel in training. The National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California made use of 300 such vehicles (designated as M551NTC). The fiberglass and plywood VisMod (Visually Modified) kits were an effort to alter the external appearance of Sheridans to mimic that of Soviet armor systems such as the BMP armored personnel series and the T-72 Main battle tank for use in specially-crafted war games. perhaps the most-closely associated use of the Sheridan in this fashion was in copying the look of the lethal four-barreled ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft systems. While retaining their lower hulls, these Sheridans had a superstructure superimposed on their existing hulls and closely resembled their Soviet counterparts. After the end of the Cold War, actual Soviet equipment became readily available for use in such war games and these types of modifications were no longer needed.
Production of the M551 General Sheridan began in 1966 and ended in 1970 with totals topping a reported 1,562 systems. The Sheridan served actively from 1969 up until 1996 - quite a feat for any tank especially those with an origin dating back to the 1960s.
The Sheridan was evaluated by a number of American-friendly potential nations in its life but none of these ever secured any production orders. The Sherman and her legacy, therefore, were "all-American" from beginning to end. The Sheridan was stationed in South Korea with deterrent forces on watch and, similarly, in Europe. Sheridan crews trained extensively in Germany for the seemingly inevitable World War 3 scenario. How the Sheridan would have fared in such an all-out war against the cream of the Soviet crop is left to the imagination, though the system itself was developed indeed for such a war.
As it stands and despite her not in active service with the US Army, the M551 Sheridan has yet to be directly replaced in the Army inventory by a capable like-system.
Not in Service.
CREWMEN
Cadillac Division of General Motors - USA
(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)
United States (retired)
✓ Amphibious Assault
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.
✓ Anti-Tank / Anti-Armor
Base model or variant can be used to track, engage, and defeat armored enemy elements at range.
✓ Infantry Support
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.
✓ Tank-vs-Tank
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.
✓ Reconaissance
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.
✓ Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.
NOTABLE QUALITIES [+]
Track-and-Wheel Arrangement
Vehicle utilizes a track-and-wheel arrangement to provide enhanced cross-country travel capability.
Primary Turret
A modern tank quality, this vehicle sports its main armament in a single turret.
Traversable Main Armament
Armament is situated in a traversing component, allowing for all-around engagement of enemy threats.
System can enter and traverse open water sources - either rivers, lakes, and streams; Amphibious Assault operation support.
Smoke Screening
Vehicle has capability to self-generate a smoke screen, either through launched grenades or built-in engine funtion (raw fuel injection).
Anti-Infantry
Vehicle features an in-built anti-infantry capability for local defense of the vehicle or general troop suppression.
9.2 ft
16.8 tons
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base M551 Sheridan production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
Powerplant: 1 x General Motors GM 6V53T 6-cylinder diesel-fueled supercharged engine developing 300 horsepower at 2,800rpm driving conventional track-and-wheel arrangement.
(70.0 kph)
372.8 mi
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base M551 Sheridan production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)
EARLY:
1 x 152mm M81 main gun in turret.
1 x 12.7mm M2HB Anti-Aircraft (AA) machine gun at commander's cupola (roof-mounted).
1 x 7.62mm M73/M219 co-axial machine gun in turret.
8 x Smoke Grenade Dischargers on turret.
LATE:
1 x 152mm M81E1 main gun in turret.
1 x 12.7mm M2HB AA machine gun at commander's cupola (roof-mounted).
1 x 7.62mm M240C co-axial machine gun in turret.
8 x MGM-51 "Shillelagh" Anti-Tank Guided-Missiles (ATGMs).
Supported Types
(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
AMMUNITION [+]
20 x 152mm projectiles.
1,000 x 12.7mm ammunition.
3,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.
8 x Smoke grenades.
8 x MGM-51 "Shillelagh" ATGMs.
XM551 - Prototype; 12 pilot models produced
M551 - Main Production Model Designation
M551A1 - Fitted with AN/VVG-1 laser-range finder under 12.7mm machine gun station.
M551A1(TTS) ("Tank Thermal Sight") - Fitted with AN/VSG-2B thermal sight unit.
M551(NTC) ("National Training Center") - Modified mock enemy vehicle for training at the National Training Center (NTC).
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.


text:
William Eichler 18 May 2017
Council 'dissolves' ICT joint venture
Birmingham City Council has 'dissolved' a joint venture partnership that was designed to deliver ICT services across the council.
Service Birmingham, a joint venture between the council and Capita, is to come to an end in order to help Birmingham meet its 'cost savings objectives'.
Created in 2006, the commercial arrangement will now be 'reshaped' — in the words of a Service Birmingham spokesperson — 'to allow greater flexibility to better cater for the future needs of the council and its residents.'
'The proposal, although keeping the core services contract in place until 2021, allows for the joint venture arrangement, which has some commercial restrictions, to be dissolved,' the spokesperson said.
'The new partnership will deliver a mix of core services currently provided under Service Birmingham as well as additional project-based work enabling additional savings to be delivered over the next four years, helping the council to meet its objectives.'
Discussions on the proposal are ongoing, and a report is expected to go to Birmingham City Council's Cabinet for approval in due course.
#Joint venture #IT
How local authorities can make money from energy
Stephen Stead explains how councils can use their existing assets to generate new revenue streams.
Local authorities can lead green agenda by taking advantage of government incentives
With the right support, UK local authorities can lead the charge on introducing new energy efficiency measures – but tapping into government funding is key, explains Dr Tanja Groth.


text:
Connecting Communities Forum 2018
Why collaboration is key to building smart cities of the future
Long-term view: working together will be critical to connecting Britain in the future Credit: Getty
10 December 2018 • 4:30pm
Sharing ideas and putting citizens first are key to smart sustainability, according to city experts
For Britain to thrive in the digital age it is critical that it adopts a long-term view and works together to build the efficient, sustainable, smart and secure cities of the future, where public infrastructure works seamlessly with the enormous demands of business and the public.
That was the overarching message of the Nokia-sponsored Connecting Communities Forum 2018, held at the Telegraph Media Group's London offices in late November.
The gathering, of almost 60 high-powered delegates, included representatives from central government and local authorities, business leaders and key players in the transport and infrastructure industries – and the urgency and willingness to collaborate was clear.
The city as a platform
"We are experiencing an opportunity like never before in terms of digitalisation and innovation, and we all have a big role to play," said Erin Walsh, director of market intelligence at Future City Catapult, in her opening address.
"We need to work together, and build a wider ecosystem to connect our communities. Local authorities spend £78bn per annum on services in the UK. How can we be efficient and effective with that [money]?"
Chris Johnson, SVP global enterprise at Nokia, used his keynote to discuss the concept of the city as a platform, likening it to Apple's App Store. Once that platform has been established, he argued, anyone with the ideas and skills can build apps on top. The abstract idea of a "smart city" may have been around for about a decade, but "we have not yet universally managed to connect communities", said Mr Johnson, who added: "Above all, a lack of integrated thinking has contributed to the overall failure. [But] there is a race on, and Britain needs to really move."
In the first panel discussion, exploring the city-as-a-platform notion, Stephen Blackburn, open data lead at Leeds City Council, emphasised the importance of putting citizens at the heart of future plans. "We need to work with our communities and address their concerns," he said. "Also, cities should not be competing against one another. If they can learn from one another it will save a lot of money."
Looking ahead: panel members in discussion at the Connecting Communities Forum 2018
Government action
Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council, voiced his concerns about a collective lack of information technology knowledge and data literacy.
He said: "It is great having a city as a platform, but unless you have the skills to build the applications then what is the point?"
He also suggested that, for connected cities to flourish, bigger thinking – on a regional, if not national scale – is required.
In the second and final panel talk, focused on enabling fibre connectivity, James Richardson, chief economist for the National Infrastructure Commission, agreed that "government action and subsidies" are required to fuel smart cities. He suggested that full national internet connection would not be achieved until 2033, but recommended that the Government should service "the most remote places that are least likely to be served by the market".
Tim Roberts-Holmes, the vice president of IT consulting company CGI, emphasised the importance of "world-class cybersecurity". He summed up the protracted frustration of not yet creating a large-scale, data-driven city, when he concluded: "We need to break the data silos and a city as a platform is fundamental to the whole thing. Technology is the easy part. It only gets complicated when we all get involved."
To find out more, visit the Nokia Smart City hub at networks.nokia.com/industries/smart-city
More from Telegraph Events
Connecting Communities Forum agenda 2018


text:
Anthony Francis Huck (* 4. prosince 1945 v Regině) je bývalý kanadský hokejista. Hrál na postu útočníka a nastupoval za profesionální týmy v NHL i WHA. Než se ale Huck dostal do NHL nastupoval pravidelně za kanadský amatérský národní výběr . Jeho reprezentační kariéra vrcholila v roce 1968, když na Olympijských hrách pomohl Kanadě k bronzovým medailím. Během profesionální kariéry oblékal dresy týmů Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Fighting Saints, Montreal Voyageurs a Denver Spurs. V roce 1999 byl uveden do mezinárodní hokejové síně slávy.

Amatérská kariéra
Fran Huck měl úspěšnou juniorskou kariéru v týmu Regina Pats. Získal ocenění pro nejproduktivnějšího hráče ligy a dostal se do All-stars týmu. Po juniorské kariéře ale překvapivě zvolil místo NHL kanadský národní tým. Ten tehdy vedl Otec David Bauer. Huck měl tak možnost hrát hokej a zároveň studovat vysokou školu, kde se věnoval právům. U národního týmu Kanady působil od roku 1965 do roku 1969. Získal bronzové medaile na Olympiádě v roce 1968 a Mistrovstvích světa v letech 1966 a 1967.

Profesionální kariéra
Huck nastartoval svou profesionální kariéru v Montrealu Canadiens, který si jeho služby snažil zajistit už několik let. Nakonec nastupoval často jen na farmě a během dvou let odehrál pouhých 7 utkání v jeho dresu. Poté v rámci NHL hrál za St. Louis Blues. Zde odehrál v základní části a Stanley Cupu celkem 98 utkání a nasbíral 58 bodů. Od roku 1973 působil ve WHA, kde hrál za kluby Winnipeg Jets a Minnesota Fighting Saints.

Po konci hokejové kariéry si Huck otevřel právnickou praxi ve městě Kelowna.

Ocenění
 Jmenován do prvního All Star týmu na Mistrovství světa 1966 a 1967
 Uveden do hokejové síně slávy IIHF v roce 1999
 Nejužitečnější hráč WHL 1971/72
 Uveden do saskatchewanské sportovní síně slávy v roce 2006

Externí odkazy

Kanadští lední hokejisté
Kanadští hokejoví útočníci
Kanadští bronzoví olympijští medailisté
Hráči Montreal Canadiens
Hokejisté American Hockey League
Hokejisté Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
Hokejisté Western Hockey League
Hokejisté World Hockey Association
Hokejisté Minnesota Fighting Saints
Hokejisté Denver Spurs
Narození v roce 1945
Žijící lidé
Muži
Narození 4. prosince
Bronzoví olympijští medailisté v ledním hokeji
Hráči St. Louis Blues
Hráči Winnipeg Jets (1972–96)
Členové Síně slávy IIHF

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Newly redecorated room featuring two double beds, Cable TV with movie channels, central a/c, and in room safe.
Newly redecorated room with Ocean view featuring Cable TV with movie channels, central a/c, and in room safe.
Each suite has its own unique decor with mini bar, sitting area, Cable TV, stereo and other amenities.
Each suite has its own unique decor with jacuzzi, mini bar, sitting area, Cable TV, stereo and other amenities.
The Marseilles has a fantastic ocean front location in Miami's South Beach Art Deco District, on Collins Avenue, just 1 block from Lincoln Road Shopping Mall and 2 blocks from the Miami Beach Convention Center. Just walk outside and enjoy the beach , enjoy the spectacular nightlife, South Beach's sidewalk cafes, restaurants, night clubs, and shops located all within walking distance of the Marseilles Hotel.


Book: John (1), Acts (1), Romans (2), 1 Corinthians (3), Galatians (1), 1 Peter (1).
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on September 10, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on September 3, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
(Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on July 23, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
Romans 8:14-17 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on July 16, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
Romans 3:20-28 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on July 9, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
Acts 20:17-21 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on July 2, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
John 3:1-21 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on June 25, 2017 (Sunday Evening).
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (Part of the The work of God in the soul of man series).
Preached by Mark Barnes on June 11, 2017 (Sunday Evening).


ABOUT THE SERVICE: This service is offered in compliance with the rules and regulations set forth in PD 1096 otherwise known as the National Building Code of the Philippines.
Issues Official Receipt 4 hrs.
Segregates record data and Issue approved building permit to the client 3 hrs.


text:
Toby Wright is an American record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn.

Credits

Producer
3rd Strike - Lost Angel
8stops7 - In Moderation
Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains - Unplugged
Arcane Saints - Turning the Tide
Biohazard - Reborn in Defiance
Brad Gillis – Gilrock Ranch
Brighton Rock - Love Machine
Brown Brigade - Into the Mouth of Badd(d)ness
Burn to Shine - Signs (of what's to come)
Chris Whitley - Terra IncognitaChris Whitley - Long Way AroundCraving Lucy - Craving LucyDeity's Muse - TBAFear Factory - TransgressionFishbone - Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the FonkayGrade 8 - Grade 8Jerry Cantrell - Boggy DepotKiss - Carnival of Souls: The Final SessionsKorn - Follow the LeaderThe Letter Black - Hanging On by a ThreadLinea 77 - Horror VacuiLinea 77 - 10Machina - To Live and Die in the Garden of EdenMemento - BeginningsThe Nixons - FomaThe Nixons - The NixonsO.Y.D. - Deep BreathOzzy Osbourne - Prince of DarknessPrimus - RhinoplastySevendust - HomeSlayer - Divine InterventionSlayer - Soundtrack to the ApocalypseSonic Syndicate - We Rule the NightSoulfly - PrimitiveTantric - TantricTantric - After We GoTantric - The End BeginsTaproot - WelcomeTaproot - Blue-Sky ResearchVillebillies - VillebilliesMixing
3 - The End Is Begun3 Doors Down - The Better Life3rd Strike - Lost Angel40 Below Summer - Invitation to the DanceAlice in Chains - "What the Hell Have I"
Alice in Chains - Jar of FliesAlice in Chains - Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains - UnpluggedAlice in Chains - "Get Born Again"
Biohazard - Reborn in DefianceBoy Hits Car - Boy Hits CarBrad Gillis - Gilrock RanchBrian Wilson - Brian WilsonBrown Brigade - Into the Mouth of Badd(d)nessChris Whitley - Din of EcstasyChris Whitley - Terra IncognitaChris Whitley - Long Way AroundCorrosion of Conformity - DeliveranceCraving Theo - Craving TheoDepswa - Distorted American DreamFear Factory - TransgressionFuture Leaders of the World - RevealGrade 8 - Grade 8GZR - OhmworkG.I.V.E. - UNNATURALIn Flames - A Sense of PurposeJerry Cantrell - Boggy DepotJibe - Epic Tales of Human NatureKiss - Carnival of Souls: The Final SessionsMachine Head - "From This Day"
Meldrum - Blowin' Up the MachineMushroomhead - XXOutlett - Full CircleO.Y.D. - Deep BreathOysterhead - The Grand Pecking OrderQueensrÿche - Hear in the Now FrontierThe Parlor Mob - "Everything You're Breathing For"
The Parlor Mob - "The Kids"
The Parlor Mob - "Hard Times"
Primus - RhinoplastyPrimus - AntipopReal McCoy - "Sleeping with an Angel"
Rehab - Southern DiscomfortRobben Ford - Talk to Your DaughterSammy Hagar - Red VoodooSix Feet Under - Death RitualsSlayer - Divine InterventionStone Sour - Stone SourSwitched - Subject to ChangeSwitched - Ghosts in the MachineTarja Turunen - The SeerTarja Turunen - "Enough"
Third Eye Blind - BlueTrey Anastasio - Trey AnastasioUltraspank - Progress (Ultraspank album)''

References
General

Specific

American record producers
Living people
Kiss (band) personnel
Year of birth missing (living people)


text:
Gabormedaljen är en medalj som delas ut av Royal Society varje udda år sedan 1989. År 2010 delades den ut en extra gång för att högtidlighålla sällskapets 350-årsjubileum. Medaljen delas ut för enastående arbete inom någon av de medicinska vetenskaperna, särskilt för insatser inom områdena genetisk ingenjörskonst eller molekylärbiologi. Men i enlighet med donatorns, professor Dennis Gabor, önskan så kan medaljen då och då delas ut till någon som är verksam inom de vetenskapsgrenar där han själv var verksam. Medaljen består av förgyllt silver.

Pristagare
1989 - Noreen Murray
1991 - Alan Fersht
1993 - Charles Weissmann
1995 - David Hopwood
1997 - Kenneth Holmes
1999 - Adrian Bird
2001 - Azim Surani
2003 - Jean Beggs
2005 - Lionel Crawford
2007 - Richard J. Roberts
2009 - Gregory Challis
2010 - Gideon Davies
2011 - Angela McLean
2013 - Christofer Toumazou

Externa länkar
 Royal Society: Gabor Medal

Brittiska vetenskapsmedaljer
Priser och utmärkelser instiftade 1989
Royal Society


This cardboard pallet display also referred as endcaps, Products can be displayed for 4 sides, consumers can get the products from any direction. The top of the display or header is used for product and brand visuals, which include imagery, messaging and are perfect for showcasing special promotional offers.
To meet the needs of different customers' requirement, such as display need to Convenient Installation, Heavy Bearing, hang on products for show, We do have different materials for choose, different structure ensure achieve the perfect displayed.
End caps of this type often hold a large quantity of product as well as multiple SKUs. Effective end cap displays transition shoppers from aisle to aisle of a store. They are also prime locations to engage shoppers walking the perimeter of the store.The product can be widely used in various fields such as outdoor promotion, exclusive agency dispaly products displaying etc. The perfect POP displays for all types of products including food, beverage, health and beauty, pet supplies, and so many more.


Modern Jazz Essentials is an expansion for Groove Agent which delivers all the detail and complexity that modern jazz drumming is renowned for. Featuring ten modern jazz Styles for Acoustic Agent drum kits, it allows you to quickly create sophisticated rhythms, exploring in depth the subtly nuanced playing of today's outstanding contemporary jazz artists.
Modern Jazz Essentials is an expansion pack for Groove Agent 4 and Groove Agent SE 4 Acoustic Agent.
Groove Agent 4 is available for purchase as VST instrument for VST 3, VST 2 and AU compatible host applications. Groove Agent SE 4 is included in Cubase Pro, Artist and Elements from version 8 and later and also in Nuendo 7 with NEK. Groove Agent SE 4 from previous Cubase versions is not supported.