Do you a drive? If you happen to do you could have heard your automobile make weird noises at some point – click, clack, clank, clink, or clang? Almost definitely you did not know what the issue was and needed the advice and help of an expert car mechanic. In case you wish to lengthen your diploma you may seek choice for the 4-yr MEng course. The first three years of the MEng run parallel with the BEng course, while the final yr of the MEng permits you to broaden and deepen your research. You could enrol on either course when becoming a member of the university however progression onto the MEng is barely potential for essentially the most able college students. You can also apply from elsewhere to affix our MEng in the third yr.
It's possible you'll be required to travel to other factories and vegetation or to conduct outside field work throughout your working day. Alternatives for overseas journey are potential, significantly when you're based mostly in the motorsport industry. This query highlights the distinction between exposition and exploration. Something that I know I can explain quite simply and instantly. I can bundle it. Nearly every thing I write is concerned with areas of exploration by which I'm actively engaged in discovery. That is why I say, ―I've no perspective.
Enroll as a upkeep engineer or amenities engineer, planning upkeep schedules, rotating equipment, determining repair prices and updating information of upkeep and repairs. These specialised, stand-alone schools do one thing only: Educate aspiring mechanics what they should know. Classroom work helps college students improve their information, while palms-on courses give attention to bettering their skills. Mechanic faculty often results in a certificates or diploma.
Do not use the clay on dry panels, if the lubricant dries earlier than you get to a bit, spray on some extra. Once you are joyful that the floor is easy, wipe off any clay left behind with a comfortable material. America's automobile-sharing trade is struggling as major operators scale back because of weak demand in sure cities, vandalism and competition from ride-hailing providers. Ver attention-grabbing and good suggestion. You actually have your business to a perfection.
We continue to search out ergonomics puzzling in the Cooper and Coupe lineups, and they're clearly cases of fashion over perform. Some frequent-use gadgets are positioned out of attain, or in odd areas; seat adjusters are on the inboard sides, for instance, and infotainment controls are placed low on the center tunnel. But once you're used to it, these fashions are fairly purposeful.


text:
Mauritania's small population and low economic output has limited the country's ability to develop sustained growth. There are also practical challenges relating to transparency and tax burdens which have hindered foreign investment.
The telecom sector similarly faces difficulties, though efforts continue to be made to address them with financial support from the government as well as the World Bank and European Investment Bank. These efforts have been focussed on implementing appropriate regulatory measures and promoting the further penetration of fixed-line broadband services by improving the national backbone network, ensuring connectivity to international telecom cables, and facilitating operator access to infrastructure. Much progress has been made to improve internet bandwidth capacity, including the completion of a cable link at the border with Algeria, while by early 2021 the country will also be connected to the EllaLink submarine cable.
Mauritel maintains a virtual monopoly in the fixed-line sector, and there is little stimulus for new market entrants. Penetration of fixed telephony and broadband penetration is very low and is expected to remain so in coming years, though growth is anticipated following improvements to backbone infrastructure and the reduction in access pricing.
Most voice and data services are carried over the mobile networks maintained by Mauritel, Mattel and Chinguitel though all three have repeatedly fallen short in their quality of service, despite fines being imposed (twice in 2020 alone). This represents a significant challenge, given the importance of mobile networks for basic telecom services.
Population penetration of 3G is relatively high, though developments in LTE have been stalled repeatedly following a succession of failed licence auctions. The regulator continues to pursue it plans, issuing a renewed tender in August 2020. In the meantime, mobile broadband access speeds are low, placing a brake on the potential for mobile commerce and related applications.
The three operators Mauritel, Chinguitel, by Sudatel and Mattel, by Mauritano-Tunisienne des Télécommunications have rolled all out 2G and 3G networks, but speeds higher than around 1 Mbps cannot be expected. The operators are said to cover most population centres, but users face severe quality of service (QoS) problems.
In October 2020 the government of Mauritania has finally awarded three provisional 4G licences following several failed attempts to offload concessions going back to 2018. Mauritel, Chinguitel and Mattel have agreed to acquire nationwide licences, with Mattel offering MRU501 million (USD13.2 million) plus 2.5% annual 4G turnover and its two rivals submitting bids of MRU500 million plus 2.5% of annual 4G turnover.
Mauritel is partially owned by Maroc Telecom and the largest operator in Mauritania. The network broadcasts 2G and 3G on 900 MHz and is available in the list of cities provided by Mauritel.
Chinguitel, owned by Sudanese Sudatel, is the youngest operator in Mauritania and operates 2G on 900 and 1800 MHz and 3G on 2100 MHz bands. The company also operates a CDMA network which is incompatible to most GSM devices.
Chinguitel has launched its first LTE-based services after being awarded a 4G licence last year. The operator has implemented networks in the capital city Nouakchott, as well as six regional centres: Nouadhibou, Zouerate, Atar, Akjoujt, Rosso and Kaedi. Chinguitel's rival cellcos Moov Mauritel and Mattel launched 4G services in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively.
Mattel, owned by Mauritano-Tunisienne des Télécommunications, is the oldest network in Mauritania, commercialising their offfer under the name Mattel. The company was set up in 2000 in co-operation with Tunisie Télécom who has been trying to sell its shares since 2012.
Labels: Continent Africa, Country Mauritania, Operator Chinguitel, Operator Mattel, Operator Moov Mauritel, Technology 4G

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


3 Starting out -what to do first?
0) Impersonating a game official (Admin, Game Mod, Game Cop, or any variation) will result in account deletion and exclusion from all GateWars-games (Main, Ascended, Quantum, Newgrounds).
1) Only one account per person, per game server.
2) No automated processes, macros, scripts or other 'non human being' run account activity is allowed.
3) No sharing or giving out your account details to others.
4) No logging into other people's accounts.
5) Attempts to break into accounts, the game, or otherwise disrupt or slow down the game, or server, are strictly illegal.
6) Using bugs or exploits of any kind, or knowing of and not reporting bugs or exploits, is illegal.
7) Spamming your recruiting link, or anything else related to or using our name or site, is illegal. Share the site, but please do so respectfully.
8) No profanity in user names, nameable weapons/ships, or anywhere else in game.
9) Feeding is not allowed in Quantum. See the base page for more information.
10) Any breaking of the rules can result in punishment, suspension, banning, account deletion, or banning of your entire ISP.
2. Game staff scans for rule violation.
3. If there is enough suspicion to investigate further or to weigh punishment, accounts involved will be banned pending Admins decision.
4. Admin decides. Admins decision is final, and not subject to the approval or disapproval of any player.
a. Players. Players are involved in step 1, and in step 1 only! You report the rule violation. That is the full extent of your involvement.
b. Game Cops. Game Cops are involved in step 1 and incidentally in step 2, but only when the reported violation is 'feeding'. Any other violations are the sole responsibility of Admin.
c. Admin. Involved throughout the entire process. Conducts the bulk of the investigation (with single exception of reported 'feeding'), and makes the final decision.
Users have the ability to choose one of four starting races from StargateWars. They can choose to be (in alphabetical order): Asgard, Goa'uld, Replicator	or Tau'ri.
The game is turn-based, with 3 turns occurring every thirty minutes. Upon each turn, you generate a certain amount of in-game currency called Naquadah('Naq'), and 'untrained' units ('UU'). You can use Naquadah for everything from training troops to upgrading technology or buying weapons. You must guard this well, for the more Naquadah you have, the more likely it is that someone will try and attack you to take it!. In turn, though, you can use your turns to attack other players, to get their Naquadah.
When you first start, there are several things to do, and several ways to progress your account. While the options are numerous, a simple yet effective strategy is outlined here. With your few units, you will likely want to train at least one miner, and one attacker (or buy an attack merc). You will want at least one weapon - get what you can afford after training the units. One spy would also be helpful but not necessary. Now - you need more naquadah. Going to the 'attack' screen will give you available targets from whom you can get naquadah - the more you see out the better. You can then either spy on them, to see what defence they have and if your attack is higher than their defence, or you can attack with 1 turn to 'test them out' and see if you can win. If you can, use the full 15 turns to take their naquadah. With your naquadah, you will want to first repair your weapons, then put all or most of it into unit production to increase your growth rate. This is key. You can -optionally - put more into weapons, miners, or attacking units. Build your technologies when you can as well, and -when you are comfortable with how to get naquadah - you can look at upgrading your covert levels too.
If you can find a good commander higher than you in the ranking, they will help by providing you income (and hopefully other help) - you can find people looking for officers on the forums, or just by clicking 'make this user my commander' on the rankings/stats screen. An alliance likewise may help, but both of these are completely optional.
When you get enough miners such that you do not want to easily lose the naquadah they produce to others, start to build defence and more covert power so you can defend, and avoid easy sabotages.
Once you have done the above a few times, you are well on your way! .
Vault or Bank This is a 'secret stash' of Naquadah, that cannot be taken on attacks. Clicking the link takes you to your bank, where you can deposit or withdraw Naquadah. Unless your race avoids it, there is a 5% fee for deposits. The type of secret storage varies by race, but the amount it can hold is equal. The bank will hold 1.5 days worth of 'raw' or natural income production. This does not include officer/commander bonuses, defcon or officer income expenses, but does include race bonuses if applicable. See 'calculations' for the exact formula of how much your natural income would be.
The	Command	Center or 'base' is the page you see after logging into the game, or clicking 'command center'. It displays the statistics	about your account. The Command	Center is subdivided into three main categories: User Info, Military Effectiveness/Ranking, and Personnel.
The User Info section deals with your account information, your commander, Technologies you have purchased, while also giving current statistics, including Unit production, available naquadah, income per turn, and total turns. Directly below the data, this section also shows what alliance you are in (or in the process of joining), and the officers you have under your command.
This section is divided into five distinct scores and rankings: Strike Action, Defensive Action, Covert Action, Mothership Action and Glory and Reputation Score. Beside each one of these is a rank, comparing your power in that skill to that of all other users in the game. Strike Action is a measure of attack power, similarly Defensive Action is a measure of defensive power. Covert Action is a measure of your ability to spy or sabotage other members. Mothership Action is simply the overall effectiveness of your Mothership (likely not applicable until you are powerful enough to command a mothership). The Glory and Reputation Points are used as a measure your gamelong power, opposed to just finishing position, and are also totalled across resets to provide a most powerful cross-quantum reality rank.
See Calculations for how each score is determined.
The personnel section deals with your troop and unit counts. It tells you your totals of Attack, Defense, and Untrained troops and mercenaries, spies or covert agents, anti-covert agents, and income producing troops (miners/lifers). There are two levels of attacking and defensive troops - one much more powerful than the other. The names of your troops differ from race to race as listed below. See the Training section for full details on each unit type, and the table below for the generic and race names for each type.
This option takes you to the rankings screen, starting with players at your own rank. You can search for players here, jump to any page (30 per page), or click on a player name to engage them. At the top of the page, are other ranking listings including: Ranking By Relation (Your peace agreements, People who declared peace with you, Your enemies, People who declared war with you); Alliance Ranking; Commander Ranking. More information is available in each ranking by clicking the appropriate links - you are encouraged to explore the options to see how you might best use them.
Send Message	This will open a window with which to send an ingame mail to this player. Reminder: Players can (if the message is insulting/crude) blacklist you so you will not be able to send them any more messages. Enough blacklists by different players, and the game administration is alerted. Crude/rude or personally threatening mesages are illegal.
Spy	This option allows you to send intelligence agents into their realm to survey their stats and inventories. If you succeed (see calculations for what it takes to work) you have a *chance* to discover each of their stats. The higher your covert action above theirs, the more likely you will discover their secrets but it is not guaranteed no matter how high your covert. Multiple incursions are usually necessary to get all details. With spying and sabotaging, they will not know you were there unless: 1) you fail or 2) their defcon rate is high enough, and you unlucky enough, that they do notice you.
Sabotage	This option allows you to send covert agents in to destroy enemy weaponry. If successful (see calculations below) they will do an amount of damage equal to the difference between your, and their, covert action. They will keep destroying - weak weapons first - until either they are not powerful enough to take on the next weapon, or they feel they've destroyed enough at which point they return. All sabotage missions have casualties whether successful or not. See 'calculations' below for chance of success, and death rates. Both spying and sabotaging require 'covert capacity' listed on your base page, and which regenerates each turn. Additionally, if an enemy has been targeted with too much covert activity, your agents will refuse to engage, and let you know about the unsuitability of such a 'busy' target. Covert actions require suprise - too much activity forces the enemy to be extra vigilent and paraniod, and prevents suprise.
Attack	Attacking others is a core part of the game. As such, it is a fairly complex activity - or at least gets more complex as your realm grows. Attacking has 4 main aspects: Your Military Units, Your Mothership, Your Anti Covert Agents, Your Unique Abilities. Initially just military units will be relevent, but as you grow each of the 4 aspects will come into play. The 4 aspects are explained in order, although the statement: If your total strike action is higher than their total defence action, you win - always holds true. Be warned - your displayed stike/defence action is your natural maximum -- depending on the day, you will achieve from 75 percent to 100 percent of this potential. Additionally, the naquadah you gain on winning, is from 60 to 100 percent of 75 percent of their total open naquadah. Being at war with them adds 50% to your total, if both are at war it doubles it. (Be warned though that war is a minimum 24 hour commitment, and if they in turn declare war on you, the damage you suffer will greatly increase if they do so and attack back!).You can see 'calculations' for how strike, defence, mothership, anti covert (again total potentials) action is determined, as well as death rates per unit type.
Military Units:All Military Units are sent into battle, but only those with weapons actually make a difference (the rest stand around looking stupid, likely resenting you for your poor military management) - be it defence or offensive units. They will engage the enemy, with both sides doing damage. If your attack is greater than 20 percent or their defence (or their defence greater than 20 percent of your attack) the army will experience casualties. The larger your army, the more casualties. See 'calculations' for casualty rates. Additionally, any weapons used (regardless of enemy size) are partially damaged from use. In an assembly line manner, all weapons of the same type are treated to be as damaged as the most damaged weapon (ie no matter how many weapons you have of one type, they are all viewed as equally damaged). If a weapon type is damaged enough, it is 'scrapped' since repairing it would be more costly than buying new.
Mothership	Having a mothership can add to your attack and defence action but is only calculated at the time of battle, since the amount it can help is determined by both your, and your enemies, mothership. If the enemy has no mothership, your mothership weapon action (see 'calculations' for how this is calculated) is directly added to your strike or defence action, to a maximum of your total strike or defence action (it is for troop support so the more troops, the more it can support). If both sides have a mothership, the amount added is: Your mothership offence minus their mothership defence minus their mothership offence. In all cases your mothership will use its weapons to destroy first their mothership shields, then their mothership weapons, and finally - if you have any mothership attack left - it will add to your troops attack or defence. This is true of both sides. So - in short - you can stop an enemry motherhsip with enough shields/weapons on your mothership with shields obviously being more effective at stopping the attack. The more weapons you have on your mothership, the better chance you have at beating down their mothership and helping your troops. Shields do nothing for your troops, but do a lot to protect your mothership from enemy mothership weapons. See calculations for how damage is calculated.
Anti Covert Agents	If you have anti covert agents, they come into battle with you, in the attempt to kill your enemies covert agents/spies. They suffer damage based on the enemy military defence, and then must overpower the enemy covert action in order to kill spies. The amount killed is based on the difference between your anti-covert action, and their covert action, and how much time (turns) they have to spend. Also worth noting is if the enemy has no defence to speak of, your army (being bored) will assist your anti-covert activities, increasing their potential by up to 300% (making them 3x as powerful). See 'calculations' for the relevent calculations.
Unique Abilities	Each race has a unique ability. This ranges from raising enemy dead into your own ranks, doubling attack, completely avoiding an attack with fancy hologram technology, to regenerating your own dead units, to a blitzkreig where you avoid any defence counterstrike. Your battle report will indicate if you or the enemy used any of these abilities. The higher ther level in these abilities, the more often they will be used (see 'technology' section).
Raid	Raiding is an attack type that focuses on stealing untrained units, opposed to naquadah. A successful raid will get up to 1.5 percent of their untrained units (add 50% if you are at war with them, and 100% if both sides are at war), if full turns are used. Less time (turns) means less can be raided. The damage to troops, weapons and mothership is the same as a normal attack. When raiding, anti-covert agents are not used. Aside from these differences, raid is identical to attack as explained above.
Set Neutral	Removes war and peace relationships from this user.
Declare Peace	Although this has no effects on battle or sabotage, it does mark them as '*peace' in the ranking such that if you have an agreement not to attack them, you will not forget and break the agreement.
Declare All Out War*	Identical to 'declare war' except that it affects you and all your officers, them and all their officers.
Total Neutrality*	Identical to 'set neutral' except that it affects you and all your officers, them and all their officers.
Total Peace*	Identical to 'declare peace' except that it affects you and all your officers, them and all their officers.
Give Naquadah**	Allows you to GIVE Naquadah to another player. This is GIVE - not lend, not trade. If you expect something in return, you are taking a large risk since the game cannot guarantee another player will honor an agreement made.
Give Turns**	Allows you to GIVE turns to another player. This is GIVE - not lend, not trade. If you expect something in return, you are taking a large risk since the game cannot guarantee another player will honor an agreement made.
Give Untrained Military Units**	Allows you to GIVE untrained units to another player. This is GIVE - not lend, not trade. If you expect something in return, you are taking a large risk since the game cannot guarantee another player will honor an agreement made.
The armory is, as the name suggests, the place to buy and sell weapons of various strength and costs. The Armory is divided into two main catagories: current weapon inventory and weapons purchase, along with a display of your Military Effectiveness and rank and your personel such that you can balance weapons to units, and see the results of your changes on your military powers. There is also an option to buy a Mothership here - and when bought, to manage the mothership. Mothership management will be included in the armory summary, although technically it is not on the armory page (just linked to it).
The Current Weapon Inventory (top of screen) lists your current quantity of weapons you own, separated into Attack then Defense Weapons, ordered by weapon power. You can fully repair each weapon type, partially repair each weapon type (input the number of points of repair desired), or scrap or sell your weapons (again input how many to sell if desired). Prices are listed for all activities. Tip: if you want to make a large purchse, consider selling some weapons to get the naquadah quickly. Weapons sell at a percent of cost, but can still be a great source of funds when needed badly.
Motherships are purchasable for 450,000,000 Naquadah (prices subject to change, no guarantee to have one in stock). See 'attack' catagory for how they work in battle. You can name your mothership, and upgrade it in 2 ways: 1) you can add weapon and shield capacity. This does not add anything to the mothership except the ability to add more weapons and shields. 2) you can add more weapons and shields assuming you have the capacity. The price of capacity increases the larger the ship gets, but the cost of weapons and shields are constant. It is worth noting that covert actions can tell if you have a mothership or not, but can not say how powerful it is. Only battle will reveal that.
Also of note is that motherships command their own rank - which is a combined attack and defence power rank - and so once you get a mothership, you will likely see your rank jump substantially. Motherships cannot be disbanded or sold, and upon ascending your mothership, its weapons and shields, are converted to Ascension Points but the capacity costs are not factored in.
Warning: Anyone who names their mothership something offensive, is hereby warned that it may be blown out of existence by the 'admin superweapon' without notice or compensation.
Gained each turn, based on your Daily Unit Production (and commander/officer bonuses if any), they contribute a small amount of income, and can be trained into most other specialized unit types. These units are the target of 'raids' (see attack section), and aside from mercenaries are the only units that can be transfered between players (see 'attack' section).
These are your main income producing units. They are safe from raid, and produce a substantial amount of naquadah each turn (see the calculations section for actual income calculations). When unsure what to do with your units, this is the recommended answer - train miners. Be warned though, for each 10 miners you train, 1 will become a 'lifer'. A lifer is identical to a miner, except that it cannot be untrained.
These are units who dedicate their life to become the most elite, most specialized, and most deadly offensive military units in your realm (often called 'supers'). They will fight on every attack (if they have a weapon), doing much more damage with it than an ordinary attack troop, and avoiding death much more successfully. These units are trained from Attack Troops and not Untrained Units. They cannot be untrained.
These are units specialized in defensive battle. They will fight on every attack on your own realm (if they have a weapon). They will also suffer casualties, so it is good to keep a steady training of these units going -at least enough to match your defence weapons.
These are units who dedicate their life to become the most elite, most specialized, and most deadly defensive military units in your realm (often called 'supers'). They will fight on every attack on your realm (if they have a defence weapon), doing much more damage with it than an ordinary defence troop, and avoiding death much more successfully. These units are trained from Defence Troops and not Untrained Units. They cannot be untrained.
These are units specialized in covert actions including spying and sabotage. Thier power is determined not by weapons, but by your 'spy skill' (see below). Every covert action pits your covert agents/spies against those of the enemy. Although counter-intuitive, the more you send on any covert mission, the more your chance of success - since they will work together to create distractions, false leads, counter intelligence and overall confusion while the operation is carried out. Failure (or even success on sabotage) though, costs you a percent of those sent, so finding the perfect number to send to maximize success and minimize loss of agents is important. Your covert agents automatically defend against enemy spy and sabotage attempts (see calculation section for the actual chance of success/failure, and death rates.) Your largest fear on defence is anti-intelligence military troops (see below), and on offense is failure!
These are units specialized in destroying enemy covert networks directly within the enemy realm! They are military units, are sent on each attack, but do not require ordinary weapons. Your realm anti-intelligence level (see below) determines the quality of both equipment and training of these troops. All units are automatically outfitted and trained when converted from untrained units. These units are targeted by the enemy army on attacking, and will also be assisted by your own offensive army if there is no enemy defensive army for them to worry about. With your full army assistance, your anti-intelligence (or anti-covert) power can triple!
This, along with Anti-Spy and Unit Production, are key stats since they can never be 'taken away' by enemies. This is a measure of how powerful each individual agent/spy will be - it is a multiplier for your entire covert force! The formula for how much each additional level increases your covert action is found in the calculations section, but needless to say it is significant. A high covert level (and enough agents) helps stop others from viewing your army and naquadah on the rankings, prevents successful spy attempts, and blocks sabotage attempts. It also allows you to more easily view the naquadah and army size of your enemies on the rankings. Overall one of the most important long term investments to do well, although it is also increasingly expensive to upgrade.
This is a measure of how powerful each individual anti-spy or anti-intelligence agents will be - it is a multiplier for your entire anit-covert force. The formula is found in the calculations section, and each upgrade is quite a bit more expensive than the last. A high anit-covert level (and enough agents) helps you bring down enemy covert numbers while attacking, makes you a feared opponent, and can be an integral part of larger teams like alliances or commander/officers.
This is the measure of how many untrained units you can generate per day/turn. Arguably THE most important stat in the game, since this will directly determine possible army sizes, income, covert, and indirectly determine weapon counts, motherships, etc - as all things require naquadah which these units generate (as do miners, which are trained from untrained units). This production can never be taken away by enemies. The cost of the next upgrade is always a bit more expensive than the last upgrade.
Siege/Offense:Increases your entire attack strength by the stated total percentages.
Fortifications/Defence:Increases your entire defence strength by the stated total percentages.
Covert:Increases your covert action by the stated percentages.
Anti-Covert:Increases your anti-covert/anti-intelligence action by the stated percentages.
Unique:Each race has a unique ability. Increasing your technology in this area either increases the likelyhood of successfully using that ability, increases the effect of that ability, or both.
Mercenary:Mercenaries can only represent a fraction of your total military forces (your military advisors indicate that too many mercenaries would collapse your chain of command). Increasing your mercenary technologies allows you to increase the percent of mercenaries that you can command, without losing control. Currently, you can have an initial maximum of 25% mercenaries, with each upgrade adding 5%.
All covert actions taken by you are recored here. You can review any sabotage or recon mission via the 'detials' link. You can also see a quick summary of the mission on the main Intelligence Log screen. Additionally, missions into your realm are recorded - at least all sabotage and failed recon attempts on you. Successful sabotage does not record who did it to you, and successful recon does not show up at all. The only exception to this is if your defcon rate is high enough to discover who sabotaged or spied on you in which case it is both recorded, and the enemy recorded. If you are missing weapons - check your Intelligence logs immediately, as you were likely the target of sabotage!
Alliance MangementIf you control an alliance, you can get to the alliance management page by clicking your alliance name off the base page. Here you can accept members, request members to join, boot members, change alliance name, website and description. While alliances are mentioned elsewhere in this guide, they are a significant enough part of the game that they warrant their own section.
Income Per Turn: "Natural Income" is Untrained Units x 30 plus Miners/Lifer x 300 per turn x race bonus (25% for Goa'uld).
10% more for having no commander.
Untrained Units Per Turn:Your 'natural' per turn units, are your daily unit production, divided by turns per day. You get a 20% bonus if you are your own commander, 10% bonus if you have no commander, and if you have officers, each officer gives you one fifth of your officer income rate percent of their unit production (ontop of their full production going to them).
Strike Action: This is obtained from taking your weapon strength for each weapon manned by a super unit, x 10. Then adding to that all weapon strengths manned by normal units x 5. Then this total is multiplied by each of your Siege Technology upgrades, and by your race bonus (25% for Tauri) if applicable.
Defence Action: This is obtained from taking your defence weapon strength for each weapon manned by a super unit, x 10. Then adding to that all defence weapon strengths manned by normal units x 5. Then this total is multiplied by each of your Fortification Technology upgrades, and by your race bonus (25% for Asgard) if applicable..
Covert Action: This is calculated by taking the square root of your spy level to the power of 2, (for easy math, it will double each 2 levels), times each Covert Technology Upgrade, times race bonus if applicable, times the number of covert agents your have. Then add the number of spies you have to that number.
Anti-Covert Action: This is calculated by taking the square root of your anti-spy level PLUS 2, to the power of 2, (for easy math, it will double each 2 levels), times each Anti-Covert/Intelligence Technology Upgrade, times race bonus if applicable, times the number of anti-intelligence agents your have. Then add the number of anti-intelligence agents you have to that number.
Sabotage Death Rate: 50 Percent of spies/agents sent when operation was unsuccessful; 5 Percent of spies/agents sent when operation is successful.
War (attack/raid) Success and Winnings: Your Strike Action (which is from 75% to 100% of your total potential Strike Action as determined above), must be bigger than their defence action (which is from 75% to 100% of their total potential Defence Action as determined above. Winnings are up to 75% of their naquadah (or 1.5% of untrained soldiers on raid), for a full 15 turns. Each turn less than 15 used obviously takes 1/15th of that potential away. Being at war with them adds 50% to these potentials, while if you are both at war, it doubles.
War (attack/raid) Military Unit Death Rates: For a full 15 turn attack, 3% of your normal attack units can die (2% of defence units), while 1.5% (1% of defence units) supers can die. If you are at war and attacking, attack unit deaths are multiplied by 1.5. If both sides are at war, each is doubled. Ontop of this, defence unit deaths are multiplied by strike action/defence action and attack unit deaths are multiplied by defence action/strike action (there is a min/max of 10%/500%). Attacking at less that 20% of enemy defence causes no deaths to the enemy.
The amount of anti-intelligence units you lose (win or lose the attack is the same) is the maximum of 3% units sent (times turns used divided by 15) and their defence power divided by your power per anti-intelligence agent. This means using anti-intelligence on a stronger defence force loses more anti-intelligence agents.
Market Turns+Donations: 3 per week.


Preacher: Pastor Wayne Christensen (39), Pastor Wayne Christensen (2), Pastor Wayne Christensen (1).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on July 30, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on July 9, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on June 25, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on June 4, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on May 21, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on May 14, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Romans 12:14-21 (Part of the Romans series).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on May 7, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Romans 12:9-13 (Part of the Romans series).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on April 30, 2017 (Sunday Morning).
Romans 12:3-8 (Part of the Romans series).
Preached by Pastor Wayne Christensen on April 23, 2017 (Sunday Morning).


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Q: Bulk change hyperlinks Is there a feature somewhere for notifying/making bulk updates to hyperlinks?
I have moved a website recently that has a fair number of links on StackOverflow. I don't really want to go around manually updating those links, or trigger them to be nofollow. It seems like there should be a better way.
BTW, my example is: http://joda-time.sourceforge.net -> http://www.joda.org/joda-time/

A: No, there isn't. Any such edits need to be made manually.
If you are going around doing manual edits, I would suggest to start with posts having the maximum number of views and moving downwards. This will benefit most people as the most viewed  posts are the most likely ones to turn up in search results.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home Mortgage Disclosure
A Notice by the Federal Reserve System on 12/20/2004
The new disclosure formats set forth in this notice are expected to be used for the first time in summer or fall 2005.
76189-76296 (108 pages)
Agency/Docket Numbers:
Regulation C
Docket No. R-1186
II. Explanation of Revised Disclosure Formats
A. Revisions to Existing Tables and Series of Tables
1. Table 1 and Supplemental Table 1—Disposition of Loan Applications, by Location of Property and Type of Loan
2. Table 2 and Supplemental Table 2—Loans Purchased, by Location of Property and Type of Loan
3. Table 3 Series—Loans Sold, by Type of Purchaser
4. Table 4 Series—Disposition of Applications, by Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Income of Applicant
5. Table 5 Series—Disposition of Applications, by Income, Race and Ethnicity of Applicant
6. Table 6 Series—Disposition of Applications, by Income and Gender of Applicant
7. Table 7 Series—Disposition of Applications, by Characteristics of Census Tract in Which Property Is Located
8. Table 8 Series—Reasons for Denial of Applications, by Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Income of Applicant
9. Aggregate Table 9—Disposition of Loan Applications, by Median Age of Homes in Census Tract in Which Property Is Located and Type of Loan
10. Aggregate Table 10—Disposition of Loan Applications, by Principal City versus Non-Principal City Property Location and Type of Loan
B. New Tables and Series of Tables
1. Table 11 Series—Pricing Information for Loans on 1-to-4 Family Owner-Occupied Dwellings
2. Table 12 Series—Disposition of Applications and Pricing Information for Conventional Manufactured Home Purchase Loans, First Lien, Owner-Occupied Dwelling, by Borrower or Census Tract Characteristics
3. Summary Table A Series—Disposition of Applications and Loan Sales by Loan Type and Disposition of Preapprovals by Borrower or Census Tract Characteristics
4. Summary Table B—Loan Pricing Information for Conventional Loans by Incidence and Level
Text of Proposed Revisions
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/04-27425 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/04-27425
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Publication of revised formats for public disclosure of lending data.
The Board is publishing revised formats for public disclosure of mortgage lending data reported pursuant to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and Regulation C, in light of revisions to Regulation C requiring lending institutions to report new loan pricing and other loan data. These revisions to the formats for public disclosures do not affect requirements applicable to financial institutions subject to Regulation C; the new requirements applicable to financial institutions have already taken effect (on January 1, 2004). The first year for which the new data will be reported is 2004; data from institutions are due no later than March 1, 2005, and the data will be reflected in the public disclosures scheduled to be released in the summer or fall of 2005.
Glenn Canner, Senior Adviser, Division of Research and Statistics, at (202) 452-2910; or John C. Wood or Kathleen C. Ryan, Counsel, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551, at (202) 452-3667 or (202) 452-2412. For users of Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) only, contact (202) 263-4869.
The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), 12 U.S.C. 2801 et seq., requires certain depository and for-profit nondepository institutions to collect, report, and publicly disclose data about applications for, and originations and purchases of, home mortgage and home improvement loans. The Board's Regulation C, 12 CFR part 203, implements HMDA. The data reported include the application date; the type, purpose, and amount of the loan or application; the date and type of action taken on the application; the location of the property to which the loan relates; the race, ethnicity, sex, and income of the applicant or borrower; the type of purchaser if the loan is sold; and the reasons for denial if the application is denied.
Pursuant to section 304(h) of HMDA, lending institutions subject to the act report data on the HMDA Loan/Application Register (HMDA-LAR) in a loan-by-loan and application-by-application form. The data are then submitted to the federal financial regulatory agencies. Sections 304 and 310 of HMDA direct the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) to edit and process the data and to produce public disclosure statements, which are sent back to the reporting institutions to be made available to the public upon request. In addition, the FFIEC sends the institutions' public disclosure statements to central depositories (such as public libraries) in each metropolitan statistical area (MSA), along with aggregate disclosures covering all reporting institutions in that MSA. Under section 304(h) of HMDA, the Board—in cooperation with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—is directed to develop the format for the public disclosures.
The Board recently completed a review of Regulation C (see 67 FR 7222, February 15, 2002, and 67 FR 43217, June 27, 2002). Amendments to the regulation adopted as a result of the review require institutions to report new items, including a rate spread between the annual percentage rate (APR) on the loan and the yield on Treasury securities of comparable maturity; whether the loan is subject to the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA); whether manufactured housing is involved; the type of lien on the property (first, subordinate, or none); and certain information about requests for preapproval. In addition, the regulation was amended to conform to changes in standards for collection of applicant data on race and ethnicity adopted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The first year for which the new data will be reported is 2004; data from institutions must be submitted to the appropriate federal financial regulatory agency no later than March 1, 2005, and the data will be reflected in the public disclosures scheduled to be released in summer or fall 2005.
To facilitate public access to the new information that will be reported, in keeping with the purposes of the act, the formats for the public HMDA disclosure statements are being revised. The Board and the other regulatory agencies requested public comment on proposed formats for the revised disclosure statements (69 FR 15469, March 25, 2004). The proposed changes included revisions to some of the existing disclosure tables, deletion of one set of existing tables, and the addition of new tables. Approximately 30 comments were received. In response to the comments, some changes to the proposed disclosure table formats have been made; the Board is now publishing the table formats in final form.
The revisions to the existing tables are primarily to reflect the changes to the race and ethnicity categories adopted by OMB and the itemization of data on manufactured housing. One series of tables (Tables 6-1 through 6-6) will be deleted. The new tables reflect new data on rate spread, HOEPA status, lien status, preapproval requests, and manufactured housing.
The existing tables for each reporting financial institution are Tables 1, 2, 3, 4-1 through 4-6, 5-1 through 5-6, 6-1 through 6-6, 7-1 through 7-6, and 8-1 through 8-6, and Supplemental Tables 1 and 2. There are also aggregate versions of Tables 1 through 8-6, reflecting the aggregated data of all reporting financial institutions in each MSA. In addition, there are Aggregate Tables 9 and 10, but no versions of these tables for individual financial institutions. In each case, the same changes that are being made to the basic individual institution tables (1 through 8-6) are also being made to the aggregate and supplemental versions. For example, Table 1, Aggregate Table 1, and Supplemental Table 1 are revised in the same way.
Existing Table 1 shows action taken on loan applications (such as loan originated, application approved but not accepted, application denied), detailed by the state, county, and census tract in which a property is located. The table also shows the type of loan (government-backed 1-to-4 family home purchase loans, conventional 1-to-4 family home purchase loans, 1-to-4 family refinancings, 1-to-4 family home improvement loans, multifamily loans, and loans on 1-to-4 family non-owner-occupied property).Start Printed Page 76191
Institutions are required to report property location (generally MSA, state, county, and census tract) for loans on property located in MSAs in which they have home or branch offices. Therefore, for each reporting institution, Table 1 is produced for each MSA in which the institution has offices. In addition, some institutions are required by the regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (12 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) to report property location for all loans, no matter where the property is located, and some institutions voluntarily choose to do so. In these cases, Supplemental Table 1 is produced to reflect the same information as Table 1 for loans on property not located in MSAs where the institution has offices.
The only change proposed for Table 1 (and Aggregate Table 1 and Supplemental Table 1) was the addition of a new column G to provide separately itemized data for loan applications for manufactured housing. Existing Table 1 shows combined data covering both manufactured housing loans and 1-to-4 family housing loans. In the proposal, the revised table continued to include manufactured housing loans along with 1-to-4 family loans in columns A, B, C, and D, and the heading for these columns was changed to reflect this fact. The final changes to Table 1 are identical to the proposal.
Existing Table 2 shows loans purchased by the institution, detailed by state, county, and census tract and by type of loan, using the same loan types as in Table 1. As with Table 1, Table 2 is produced for each MSA in which the institution has offices. Supplemental Table 2 reflects the same information as Table 2, for loans on property not located in MSAs where the institution has offices.
The only changes proposed for Table 2 (and Aggregate Table 2 and Supplemental Table 2) were the same as for Table 1: the addition of a column G for manufactured housing loans and the change in the heading for columns A, B, C, and D to reflect the fact that data in those columns include manufactured housing loans. The final changes to Table 2 are identical to the proposal.
Existing Table 3 shows loans sold by the institution, detailed by the race or national origin, sex, and income of the borrower; by the race/national origin and income characteristics of the census tract in which the property is located; and by the type of entity that purchased the loan (such as Fannie Mae, commercial bank, or affiliate of the institution). Table 3 is produced for each MSA in which the institution has offices. Existing Table 3 is renumbered Table 3-1; new Table 3-2 is added, as discussed later.
As proposed, the types of purchasers shown in Table 3-1 are conformed to the revised categories for type of purchaser used under the amended Regulation C. The changes include combining the commercial bank and savings institution categories; adding credit unions, mortgage banks, and finance companies to the life insurance company category; adding a new category for private securitization; and nonsubstantive terminology changes.
Also as proposed, Table 3-1 reflects the changes in borrower characteristics collected under the Regulation C revisions. The Regulation C revisions conform to standards for collection of data on race and ethnicity adopted by OMB. The OMB standards allow individuals to self-identify using more than one racial category, treat ethnicity and race as separate items of information, separate "Asian or Pacific Islander" into two categories ("Asian" and "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,") eliminate the category "Other," and make nonsubstantive terminology changes.
The racial categories in Table 3-1 follow the new categories adopted in revised Regulation C. To reflect loans where the applicant has marked more than one minority race, a new category entitled "2 or More Minority Races" is added. Where the applicant chooses white and one minority race category (for example, Asian) the loan will be reflected in the data for the minority race (Asian, in this example). Ethnicity will be shown separately from race, using the categories "Hispanic or Latino," "Not Hispanic or Latino," "Joint (Hispanic or Latino/ Not Hispanic or Latino)," and "Ethnicity Not Available" (paralleling "Race Not Available"). "Joint (Hispanic or Latino/ Not Hispanic or Latino)" applies where one joint applicant is Hispanic or Latino and the other is not, paralleling the "Joint" category under race which applies where one applicant is of a minority race and the other is white.
In the proposal, white was divided into "White—Hispanic or Latino" and "White—Not Hispanic or Latino," to provide better data about lending to minorities and to provide some continuity with data generated under the existing HMDA disclosures (in that "White—Not Hispanic or Latino" in the proposed revised disclosures appeared to be substantially equivalent to "White" in the existing disclosures). For similar reasons, the proposed revised Table 3 contained a data line entitled "Total Minority," consisting of data on situations where the applicant is of a minority race, of Hispanic or Latino origin, or both. In final Table 3-1, in order to keep the race and ethnicity categories more distinct, the white race category is not divided, and instead the white non-Hispanic category is shown in a new section entitled "Minority Status," which is displayed separately from both the race and the ethnicity categories. "Minority Status" also includes a category entitled "Others, Including Hispanic," which is the same as the "Total Minority" category in the proposal.
As proposed, the section of Table 3 detailing loans sold by sex of the borrower—users—is being deleted. The information can be derived from the institution's modified HMDA-LAR data, which are publicly available.
The section of Table 3-1 showing loans sold by income of the borrower remains unchanged. The section showing loans sold by racial/ethnic composition of census tracts and by income of census tracts also remains unchanged, except for a change affecting loans on property in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The existing public disclosure tables for MSAs in Puerto Rico contain no data in the section on racial/ethnic composition of census tracts, because in the decennial censuses up to and including 1990, this information was not collected for areas in Puerto Rico. In the 2000 census, information was collected on the racial and ethnic composition of census tracts in Puerto Rico, and Table 3 for MSAs in Puerto Rico therefore will be revised to show the data.
In addition, the census tract data from all MSAs are rolled up into national aggregates, which are not part of the public HMDA disclosures sent to central depositories, but are available from the FFIEC. In the proposal, comment was solicited on whether the national aggregate tables should include or exclude the Puerto Rico census tract data; the issue was whether inclusion of the Puerto Rico census tract data would make trend analysis at the national level more difficult. Most commenters addressing this issue stated that the advantages of inclusion of the Puerto Rico data " more complete data " would outweigh the disadvantages. The final national aggregate tables, accordingly, will include the Puerto Rico data.Start Printed Page 76192
In response to comments, new Table 3-2 is being added to show loan pricing data for loans sold. Table 3-2 shows rate spread (between the APR on the loan and the yield on Treasury securities of comparable maturity) and HOEPA status (whether the loan is subject to the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act) for loans sold, by type of purchaser of the loan and by lien status. The rate spread is shown using the same categories (no reported pricing data; reported pricing data; ranges of rate spreads above the comparable Treasury yield; and mean and median rate spread) as in the new Table 11 and Table 12 series, discussed later.
The existing tables in the Table 4 series show action taken on applications for various types of loans, detailed by race/national origin of applicants and further itemized by sex of applicants, and detailed by income of applicants. There is one table for each type of loan, using the same loan types as in Table 1. Thus, Table 4-1 shows disposition of applications for government-insured and government-guaranteed home purchase loans on 1-to-4 family dwellings; Table 4-2 shows disposition of applications for conventional home purchase loans on 1-to-4 family dwellings; Table 4-3 shows disposition of applications for refinancings on 1-to-4 family dwellings; Table 4-4 shows disposition of applications for home improvement loans on 1-to-4 family dwellings; Table 4-5 shows disposition of applications for loans on multifamily dwellings; and Table 4-6 shows disposition of applications for loans on 1-to-4 family non-owner-occupied property. Each of these tables is produced for each MSA in which the institution has offices.
The changes to the tables in the Table 4 series are substantially the same as proposed, and parallel changes to Table 3 with regard to the race and ethnicity categories, as described above. In the final version of the Table 4 series, the same adjustments as in Table 3 are made to the proposed version (showing white as a single category, rather than divided into "White—Hispanic or Latino" and "White—Not Hispanic or Latino," and instead showing the white non-Hispanic category under "Minority Status," which also includes "Others, Including Hispanic"). Within each of these categories, itemized data are also shown for Male, Female, and Joint (applying where one joint applicant is male and the other is female).
As in Table 3, the section in the Table 4 series showing action taken on applications by income of applicants remains unchanged. The titles of the tables also remain substantially unchanged. "1-to-4 Family and Manufactured Home Dwellings" replaces "1-to-4 Family Homes" in Tables 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and 4-6, to make clear that these tables continue to include manufactured homes along with 1-to-4 family homes. "Ethnicity" is added to the titles on each of the tables, since ethnicity is now treated as a separate item of data from race.
A new Table 4-7 is being added, entitled "Disposition of Applications for Home Purchase, Home Improvement, or Refinancing Loans, Manufactured Home Dwellings, by Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Income of Applicant." The data shown are the same as in the other tables in the Table 4 series, as revised, except that the data relate only to manufactured home loan applications. Thus, the data in Table 4-7 will be a subset of the data in Tables 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4. In this respect, new Table 4-7 parallels the new columns covering manufactured home loans and applications in Tables 1 and 2.
One additional change that was not proposed but responds to comments is the addition of a "Total" line at the end of each table in the Table 4 series, including new Table 4-7. The figures in each column of this line will show the total of all applications or loans, for the particular institution and MSA covered by the table, for the category represented by the column. For example, the total line for the first column in Table 4-7 will show total applications received for manufactured housing loans by that institution in that MSA.
The existing tables in the Table 5 series show action taken on applications for various types of loans, detailed by income of applicants and further itemized by race/national origin of applicants. There is one table for each type of loan, using the same loan types as in the Table 4 series; the two series of tables differ only in how the data are itemized.
The final changes are substantially the same as proposed, and mirror those made to the Table 4 series. The racial categories are changed, ethnicity placed in a separate section of data, and the table titles conformed, in the same manner as in the Table 4 series. Also paralleling the Table 4 series, a new Table 5-7 is added to show data for manufactured home loan applications, and "Total" lines are added at the end of each table.
The existing tables in the Table 6 series show action taken on applications for various types of loans, detailed by income of applicants and further itemized by sex of applicants. Again, there is one table for each type of loan. The Table 6 series parallels the 4 and 5 series; the only difference is in how the data are itemized.
The proposal was to eliminate the Table 6 series as redundant, on the basis that the Table 6 series is used very infrequently. Most commenters addressing this issue supported the proposal, and accordingly the Table 6 series will be eliminated. Information on lending patterns by income and by sex of loan applicants remains available in the 4 and 5 series of tables, as well as through the modified HMDA-LAR data that are also publicly available.
The existing tables in the Table 7 series show action taken on applications, using the same types of loans as in the 4, 5, and 6 series, but in this case detailed by the racial/ethnic composition and median family income of the census tract in which the property is located.
The Table 7 series remains unchanged, except for the addition of a Table 7-7 to reflect manufactured housing loan applications and the inclusion of data from census tracts in Puerto Rico, as proposed, and the addition of a "Total" line as in the Table 4 and Table 5 series.
The existing tables in the Table 8 series cover applications that have been denied, and show the reasons for denial detailed by the race or national origin, sex, and income of the loan applicant. As in the other series, there is one table for each type of loan, using the same loan types.
The changes made to the Table 8 series mirror those in the Tables 3, 4 and 5 series in regard to the race/ethnicity categories and inclusion of ethnicity as a separate item of data. A new Table 8-7 shows reasons for denial of manufactured housing loan applications. Start Printed Page 76193
Existing Aggregate Table 9 shows action taken on loan applications, by median age of homes within census tracts where the subject property is located and by type of loan. The Aggregate Table 9 for each MSA covers the aggregated data for all reporting institutions in that MSA; no Table 9 is produced for individual financial institutions.
As proposed, the changes to Aggregate Table 9 include adding a column to reflect data on manufactured home loan applications and updating the ranges of median ages of homes by ten years. A section of data covering median ages from 1990 through March 2000 is added at the beginning of the table; the section covering median ages of 1949 or earlier, at the end of the existing Aggregate Table 9, is deleted; and the range 1950-1959 in the existing table is changed to 1959 or earlier. (The updated ranges of median ages have already been put into use, for the disclosures covering 2003 lending data.)
Existing Aggregate Table 10 shows action taken on loan applications, by property location and by type of loan. The property location itemization consists of only two categories: central city in the given MSA, and any other location in that MSA outside the central city. No Table 10 is produced for individual financial institutions.
As proposed, the changes to Aggregate Table 10 include adding a column for data on manufactured home loan applications and substituting "principal city" for "central city," to reflect terminology adopted by OMB.
A number of new tables will be produced to reflect new data items that are being collected under revised Regulation C on loan pricing (rate spread and HOEPA status), lien status, and preapproval requests. The new tables will also reflect manufactured home lending in more detail than is given in the revised existing tables.
The new Table 11 series provides loan pricing information (rate spread and HOEPA status). Under revised Regulation C, institutions must report the rate spread between the APR on the loan and the yield on Treasury securities of comparable maturity for loans subject to the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), since these loans have an APR for use in calculating the rate spread. Loans on 1-to-4 family owner-occupied homes are generally subject to TILA, and accordingly the new Table 11 series, as proposed, focuses on this category of loans. (Loans on owner-occupied manufactured homes are also generally subject to TILA, and are covered in the Table 12 series, as discussed below.)
In the proposal, the Table 11 series tables focused on conventional loans, on the basis that concern about loan pricing problems has centered on conventional, rather than government-backed, lending. Many commenters, however, urged that comparable tables be produced to show loan pricing information for government-backed lending. Accordingly, the final Table 11 series includes tables relating to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) loans.
In the proposal, the Table 11 series comprised Tables 11-1 through 11-6; the final version comprises Tables 11-1 through 11-10. The new final tables that have been added are Table 11-1 for FHA first-lien home purchase loans, Table 11-2 for VA first-lien home purchase loans, Table 11-5 for FHA first-lien refinancings, and Table 11-6 for VA first-lien refinancings. Proposed Tables 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-6 (covering conventional home purchase, refinancing, and home improvement loans) have been renumbered as Tables 11-3, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, and 11-10, respectively.
Each of the tables shows, as in the proposal, for a given reporting institution in each of the institution's MSAs, the number of such loans for which the institution did not report rate spread data because the difference between the APR on the loan and the yield on the applicable Treasury security was below the three or five percentage point reporting threshold for first-lien or subordinate-lien loans, respectively, or because no APR was available to calculate the rate spread. Each table also shows the number of such loans for which the institution did report rate spread data. The table then shows the number of loans falling into various ranges of percentage points above the applicable Treasury yield, such as 3-3.99, 4-4.99, and so on up to 8 percentage points or more above the Treasury yield for first-lien loans, and 5-5.99, 6-6.99, and so on up to 10 percentage points or more above Treasury for subordinate-lien loans. Each table also shows, for loans on which the institution reported rate spread data, the mean and median percentage points above the Treasury yield.
The final tables differ from the proposal in that they show rate spread data in terms of not only number of loans, but also dollar amount of loans, for consistency with other tables. Also, the banner heading above the columns showing ranges of rate spreads and mean and median spreads has been changed to make clear that the data shown include only loans with APRs above the applicable thresholds (3 or 5 percentage points over the comparable Treasury yields). Some commenters expressed concern that, without such clarification, some users of the data might believe that the mean and median rate spreads were calculated based on all loans made by the institution, including those with APRs below the applicable thresholds. In addition, a footnote has been added to the "no reported pricing data" column, to clarify the content of the data in the column.
As mentioned above, a loan will be reflected in the "no reported pricing data" column because the difference between the APR on the loan and the yield on the applicable Treasury security was below the reporting threshold or because no APR was available to calculate the rate spread. No APR will be available when the loan (for example, a loan for business purposes) was not subject to Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) and therefore the lender was not required to calculate and disclose an APR. Purchased loans and applications not resulting in loan originations also will not have APRs; however, these types of transactions will not be reflected in the "no reported pricing data" column, because the Table 11 series covers only loan originations. Also, for the 2004 data year, loans with application dates on or before December 31, 2003, will be excluded from the Table 11 series, because under the special rules for such loans, the rate spread is not required to be reported if the rate was set on or before that date. (These loans will also be excluded, for the 2004 data year, from all other tables containing loan pricing data, i.e., Tables 3-2 and 12-2 and Summary Table B.)
As in the proposal, the data in the Table 11 series are itemized by the race, ethnicity, income, and sex of the borrower, and by the racial/ethnic composition and the income of the census tract in which the property is located. The same changes to the race and ethnicity categories have been made in the Table 11 series as in the final Start Printed Page 76194Tables 3, 4, 5, and 8 series, discussed above.
As in the proposal, the tables covering refinancings and home improvement loans (Tables 11-5 through 11-10 in the final version) each include an additional column showing the number (and in the final version, dollar amount) of HOEPA loans made by the institution in the particular MSA. (Under TILA, home purchase loans on 1-to-4 family owner-occupied dwellings are excluded from HOEPA coverage; thus, there is no comparable HOEPA column in final Tables 11-1 through 11-4, covering home purchase loans.) One of the triggers for HOEPA coverage is an APR 8 or more percentage points over the comparable Treasury yield for first-lien loans, and 10 or more percentage points over the comparable Treasury yield for subordinate-lien loans. Thus, for the tables with a column showing the number or dollar amount of HOEPA loans, there could be some similarity between the data in that column and the data in the column showing number or dollar amount of loans with an APR of 8 or more (or 10 or more, for subordinate-lien loans) percentage points over the comparable Treasury yield. However, there are some differences between the two columns. First, the Treasury yield for HOEPA trigger purposes is the yield as of the 15th day of the calendar month preceding the month in which the lender received the loan application; the Treasury yield for HMDA rate spread purposes is the yield as of the 15th day of a given month, if the interest rate on the loan was set on or after that day through the 14th day of the following month. Therefore, while the two yields may often be identical, they may not be in some cases. Second, a loan can be classified as a HOEPA loan even though it does not meet the APR trigger, if it meets another trigger for HOEPA coverage, based on the loan's points and fees.
In the proposal, new Table 12 focused on manufactured home lending and showed two types of information: action taken on applications, and rate spread data for originated loans. In the final version, there are two tables, Table 12-1 which provides data on action taken, and Table 12-2 which provides rate spread data in more detail than proposed. The Table 12 series is limited, as proposed, to conventional first-lien home purchase loans on owner-occupied manufactured homes because the majority of manufactured home loan applications likely fall into this category. In addition, loans on non-owner-occupied properties are generally not subject to TILA and thus will not have an APR available for calculating rate spread.
In final Table 12-1, the action taken data are itemized by the race, ethnicity, income, and sex of the applicant, and by the racial/ethnic composition and income of the census tract where the property is located. The categories used for the applicant and census tract characteristics are identical to those used in the revised existing tables and in the new Table 11 series. Proposed Table 12 showed the data in terms of number of applications or loans; final Table 12-1 displays the data in terms of both numbers and dollar amounts, for consistency with other tables.
Table 12-1 bears some similarity to new Tables 4-7, 5-7, and 7-7, which also display action taken data relating to manufactured home lending, but there are significant differences. Tables 4-7, 5-7, and 7-7 show activity on all manufactured home lending (home purchase, home improvement, and refinancings; both conventional and government-backed; both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied; and both first-lien and subordinate-lien), while Table 12 is limited to conventional first-lien home purchase loans on owner-occupied manufactured homes.
In the proposal, the format of the rate spread section of Table 12 was similar to the Table 11 series, except that the columns showing the numbers of loans with rate spreads falling into various ranges were omitted. Thus, the proposed rate spread section of Table 12 included columns for the number of loans with no reported pricing data, the number of loans with such data reported, and the mean and median percentage points over the applicable Treasury yield for those loans with pricing data reported. In response to comment, final Table 12-2 includes columns covering various ranges of rate spreads. The ranges are the same as in the tables in the 11 series relating to first-lien loans, except that instead of the highest range being 8 or more percentage points over the comparable Treasury yield, a range of 8-9.99 is added, and the highest range accordingly is 10 or more.
Like final Table 12-1, final Table 12-2 displays the data in terms of both numbers and dollar amounts, for consistency with other tables. Also, as in the Table 11 series, the banner heading above the columns showing ranges of rate spreads and mean and median spreads has been changed to make clear that the data shown include only loans with APRs above the applicable threshold, and a footnote has been added to the "no reported pricing data" column to clarify the content of the data in the column. (The content of the data in this column parallels that of the "no reported pricing data" column in the Table 11 series, discussed above.)
Although Table 12-2 on manufactured home loans is limited to home purchase loans, while the Table 11 series on 1-to-4 family home loans also has tables covering refinancings and home improvement loans, Summary Table B, discussed later, provides some information on rate spreads for refinancings and home improvement loans on manufactured housing.
The new Summary Table A series provides an overview of actions taken by an institution on loan applications, including actions taken on preapproval requests, with detailed itemizations by type of loan. As in the proposal, Summary Table A-1 shows action taken on applications for loans on 1-to-4 family dwellings; Summary Table A-2 shows the same data for applications on manufactured home loans; and Summary Table A-3 shows the same data for applications relating to multifamily housing, except that it does not contain data on preapproval requests; lending on multifamily housing likely does not generally involve preapproval requests as defined in Regulation C.
The tables itemize lending by (1) loan purpose (home purchase, refinancing, and home improvement); (2) lien status (first-lien, subordinate-lien, and unsecured); (3) loan type (conventional, FHA, VA, and FSA/RHS (Farm Service Agency or Rural Housing Service)); and (4) action taken. Summary Tables A-1, A-2, and A-3 do not show itemization by applicant or census tract characteristics; tables in the 4, 5, and 7 series serve that purpose. Rather, these summary tables detail at a glance the types of lending in which an institution is engaged. (New Summary Table A-4, added in the final version and focusing on preapprovals, does contain an itemization by applicant and census tract characteristics. See below for further discussion of Summary Table A-4.) Start Printed Page 76195
The summary tables will be produced in two versions for each reporting institution. One version reflects activity for each MSA for which the institution reports data, and the other shows the institution's total activity nationwide. Both versions itemize data by type of action taken (such as loans originated, applications approved but not accepted, and applications denied). In addition, both versions show the number of preapproval requests that resulted in loan originations and the number of originated loans sold by the institution.
Only the nationwide version shows preapproval requests denied and preapproval requests approved but not accepted. Data on preapproval requests denied and preapproval requests approved but not accepted cannot be shown in the MSA version, because to be included in the MSA-based tables, an application must have a property location, and property location is not reported on a preapproval request unless the request goes beyond the preapproval stage, for example, where it results in a loan origination.
Summary Tables A-1, A-2, and A-3 are unchanged from the proposal, except that a footnote has been added to clarify that reporting of preapproval requests approved but not accepted is optional. Some commenters were concerned that the data might be misleading to data users who did not realize the optional nature of reporting of this item.
Summary Table A-4 was not in the proposal, but has been added in the final version to address comments suggesting that information be shown on action taken on preapproval requests, itemized by applicant and census tract characteristics. The table covers conventional first-lien home purchase loans on 1-to-4 family dwellings, and shows preapprovals resulting in originations, preapprovals approved but not accepted, and preapprovals denied, itemized by the race, ethnicity, income, and sex of the applicant and by the racial/ethnic composition and income of the census tract in which the property is located. The categories used for the applicant and census tract characteristics are identical to those used in the revised existing tables and in the new Tables 11 and 12 series.
As in the case of Summary Tables A-1, A-2, and A-3, Summary Table A-4 will be produced in two versions for each reporting institution, one version reflecting activity for each MSA for which the institution reports data and the other showing the institution's total activity nationwide. However, only the nationwide version shows preapproval requests denied and preapproval requests approved but not accepted, for the same reason as discussed above with regard to the other summary tables.
New Summary Table B shows rate spread and HOEPA status information for an institution as a whole, itemized in a manner similar to the Summary Table A series (by home purchase, refinancing, and home improvement; and by first-lien and subordinate-lien status). Summary Table B covers conventional loans on 1-to-4 family owner-occupied dwellings and on manufactured housing owner-occupied dwellings (shown in separate sections of the table). Summary Table B does not contain data on multifamily housing loans or on unsecured home improvement loans, because rate spread and HOEPA status data are not available for such loans.
Like the Summary Table A series, Summary Table B will be produced in two versions for each reporting institution, one version reflecting the activity of that institution for each MSA for which the institution reports data, and another version showing the institution's total activity nationwide.
Summary Table B is unchanged from the proposed version, except that a footnote has been added to the "no pricing reported" data and explanatory text has been added to the mean and median rate spread data, in both cases to clarify the content of the data, as has been done in other tables containing loan pricing data. (The content of the "no pricing reported" data parallels that of the "no reported pricing data" column in the Table 11 series, discussed above.)
Summary Table B shows data that in some respects are comparable to data shown in the Tables 11 and 12 series. Both the Table 11 series and the first section of Summary Table B display loan pricing information on 1-to-4 family dwellings. For example, Table 11-3 shows rate spread data for conventional first-lien home purchase loans on owner-occupied 1-to-4 family dwellings; the first column of the first section in Summary Table B shows the same type of data. Table 11-4 provides rate spread data on conventional subordinate-lien home purchase loans on owner-occupied 1-to-4 family dwellings, as does the second column of the first section in Summary Table B. There are differences, however. First, the tables in the Table 11 series do not show the total number of loans for the institution, but instead provide itemizations by borrower and census tract characteristics. Summary Table B provides total loan numbers (in various categories of pricing information, such as no pricing reported, pricing reported, and so on), both at the MSA level and in total activity nationwide, but no itemization by borrower and census tract characteristics. In addition, the nationwide version of Summary Table B includes loans for which no property location was reported (for example, because the property is located outside the MSAs in which the institution has offices), while the Table 11 series does not include such loans. Thus, a data user could use Summary Table B to determine at a glance the overall level of an institution's loan pricing, detailed by loan type.
The second section of Summary Table B and Table 12-2 both provide loan pricing data for manufactured housing, but again, there are differences. First, Summary Table B shows total numbers of loans for an institution (in various categories of pricing information) both at the MSA level and nationwide, but does not include an itemization by borrower or census tract characteristics; Table 12-2 includes the itemization but not the totals. In addition, Table 12-2 provides data only on first-lien home purchase loans on manufactured housing, while Summary Table B also provides data on subordinate-lien home purchase loans, first- and subordinate-lien refinancings, and first- and subordinate-lien home improvement loans, as well as HOEPA status for the refinancings and home improvement loans.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Board adopts revised formats for public disclosure of mortgage lending data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, as set forth in the attachment to this document.
By order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, December 10, 2004.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.
End Signature Start Printed Page 76196
End Supplemental Information
[FR Doc. 04-27425 Filed 12-17-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-C


Several months ago, while performing an inventory of recently acquired video games, I happened upon a DVD-R labeled Duke Nukem: Critical Mass PSP. My first assumption was that the disc, like so many others we have received, was a DVD-R of gameplay. However, a line of text on the Copyright database record for the item intrigued me. It reads: Authorship: Entire video game; computer code; artwork; and music. I placed the disc into my computer's DVD drive to discover that the DVD-R did not contain video, but instead a file directory, including every asset used to make up the game in a wide variety of proprietary formats. Upon further research, I discovered that the Playstation Portable version of Duke Nukem: Critical Mass was never actually released commercially and was in fact a very different beast than the Nintendo DS version of the game which did see release. I realized then that in my computer was the source disc used to author the UMD for an unreleased PlayStation Portable game. I could feel the lump in my throat. I felt as though I had solved the wizard's riddle and unlocked the secret door.
READ MORE: Duke's Legacy: Video Game Source Disc Preservation at the Library of Congress | The Signal: Digital Preservation.
This entry was posted in Librarianship, Technology and tagged copyright, digital preservation, formats, gaming, Library of Congress, software, videos by infophile. Bookmark the permalink.
Interesting. You work at LOC?
Nope. I work as an Information Analyst for a corporate company. That would certainly be an interesting job though!


The Cornermate cutting units are precision engineered to yield corner shapes that are flat, without distortion and burr free. They are made from durable material materials, and each unit is heat hardened for long service.
All of the Cornermate cutting units are manufactured in house by Accu Cutter. In addition, Accu Cutter now provides an in-house sharpening service for rapid turn around.
Aluminum 0.040"; Flexible Plastic 0.125" ; Engravers Brass 0.020" ; Brass Plated Steel 0.015"
For thicker plastics the new Cornermate Plus is recommended. For heavier/thicker materials the new 080 Cornermate is recommended.


CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over Easter weekend and met with Kim Jong Un, according to media reports. Donald Trump said the meeting "went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed."
Secretary of state nominee and CIA chief Mike Pompeo is believed to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over Easter weekend to set up a meeting with US President Donald Trump, US media reported Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Trump confirmed there was a meeting but said it took place "last week"
"Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed," he said on Twitter. "Denuclearization wll be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!"
Earlier, Trump said the US had held high-level talks with North Korea, confirming that officials have begun laying the groundwork for the anticipated meeting between the leaders sometime before the end of May.
Speaking to reporters at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said: "We have had direct talks at very high levels — extremely high levels — with North Korea."
US media reported Tuesday that CIA Director Pompeo met North Korean leader Kim during a top-secret visit to North Korea over Easter weekend.
Trump said he was unsure about whether the leaders' summit would be successful or even take place: "We'll either have a very good meeting or we won't have a good meeting. ... And maybe we won't even have a meeting at all."
He refused to answer questions about whether he had spoken to Kim, but said the summit was a positive opportunity: "I think that there's a great chance to solve a world problem."
Praising the meeting on Twitter, Trump said that "Details of Summit are being worked out now"
Highest level summit: In March, Trump accepted an offer to meet Kim to discuss the North's nuclear weapons program. The summit will follow a separate meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.
Trump's blessing: The president also said he approved of both Koreas negotiating a formal end to the Korean War, which technically never ended after an armistice was signed in 1953: "They do have my blessing to discuss the end of the war." The announcement breaks with previous US policy. Washington long sought to halt the North's nuclear program before discussing a peace treaty.
Abe lauds Trump: Abe said the president was brave for agreeing to meet with Kim: "I'd like to commend Donald's courage in his decision to have the upcoming summit meeting with the North Korean leader." He also said Trump had promised to discuss the issue of Japanese abductees in North Korea with Kim.


text:
BRAZILIAN EXTREME PROGRESSIVE METALLERS ABSTRACTED SIGN WITH M-THEORY AUDIO
FULL-LENGTH DEBUT DUE LATER THIS YEAR; NEW SONG "DECREE OF SUNLIGHT"
The Brazilian progressive death metal act ABSTRACTED – whose sound blends the blistering technicality of acts such as Obscura and Edge of Sanity with moments evoking the melodic side of bands such as Opeth and Fates Warning – have signed with M-Theory Audio. The quintet's debut full-length, "Atma Conflux," will be released worldwide later this year. In the meantime, a small sample of the group's scintillating sound can be experienced by viewing the visualizer video for their latest single, "Decree of Sunlight," at https://youtu.be/msJX0ZQzeiM. The song features a guest vocal appearance from Mike Semesky (Raunchy, Interloper), and is also available for streaming/download at https://abstractedmetal.bandcamp.com.
Says the band, "We are very humbled and equally excited to announce that we are now part of M-Theory's amazing roster of artists. It's a huge achievement to find people to work with us that really like what we are doing. We are setting things up for a new release later this year, and we can assure you that the wait will be worth it! We've been working on this album for four years now and have a critical mass of proggy mayhem to deliver, so stay tuned."
"The first single, 'Decree of Sunlight,' is very melodic with some heavy tech/death-ish vibes in the middle that has become a huge part of Abstracted's way of writing. The song also features a guest vocal from the great Mike Semesky, known for his work with bands that we love like Intervals and The HAARP Machine. Spread the word and give us your feedback."
ABSTRACTED was formed in the band's hometown of Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2014. The group was initially birthed from the ashes of Nyth, a previous band that Rosano Matiussi (vocals/guitars) and Guilherme Nolasco (guitars) had been involved with. After their first live performance – rounded out by drummer Alexandre Dantas and then-bassist Allen Lordaro – the new group entered the studio to record an album showcasing a sound that was birthed by a love for bands that balanced metallic intensity with a propensity to stretch the progressive boundaries of the genre. ABSTRACTED took their name from a song by Swedish melodic death metal greats Scar Symmetry, and influences from other European acts such as Necrophagist and Gojira, American bands such as The Faceless and Between The Buried And Me, and genre giants such as Death and Coroner all formed the basis for the sound that the band explored on their thrilling 2015 debut EP, "Ophidian." The recording of the EP saw new bassist Riverton Vivela enter the picture and featured guest appearances from Allegaeon guitarists Michael Stancel and Greg Burgess. The group continued to build their name in the years that followed while balancing scholastic pursuits with live appearances on festivals throughout their native country.
ABSTRACTED began recording their debut full-length, "Atma Conflux," in 2018, and continued writing, crafting, and producing the record throughout 2019. The new album sees the group – which recently welcomed keyboardist Carol Claro – integrating synthesizers and orchestral keyboards into their already-expansive sound. With their lineup now fully solidified, a new album ready and live performances imminent soon, ABSTRACTED is poised to unleash their sound to the masses in 2021.
More information on ABSTRACTED and "Atma Conflux" will be revealed in the weeks to come.
ABSTRACTED is:
Rosano Matiussi (vocals/guitars)
Guilherme Nolasco (guitars)
Riverton Vivela (bass)
Alexandre Dantas (drums)
Carol Claro (keyboards)
https://abstractedmetal.bandcamp.com
https://instagram.com/abstractedbr
https://facebook.com/abstractedbr
https://m-theoryaudio.com


text:
Totse Reddit
Totse Radio
Men Zone
Zika virus: Conspiracy theories about GMO mosquitoes and intentional infection spread as fears of disease grow
July 10, 2016 Science No Comments
The Zika virus is currently being treated as an international emergency, and is spreading explosively across the world. But as with all major, terrifying events, misinformation and conspiracies is being spread quickly too.
Many of the biggest conspiracy theories are familiar: a shadowy network is spreading the virus, or people are being intentionally left to die.
But they can also have terrible effects. Many of the stories being spread demonise genuine efforts to get work done, and so could lead directly to people dying or the virus spreading further.
Zika was not spread as a population control mechanism
The idea that Zika is being used to keep the number of people down slots neatly into a range of popular conspiracy theories. But it doesn't really make sense, even by its own logic.
The Zika virus would be an incredibly inefficient way of wiping out populations, if that was the New World Order's aim.
About 80 per cent of the people who catch the virus never experience any of its symptoms. If they do, then they'll almost certainly feel like they have a bad flu: a fever, headaches, and so on.
The main reason to worry at the moment is the apparent effect that the Zika virus has on pregnant women. Their babies appear to be being born with an increased incidence of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, which can lead to major problems later in life.
But even then, the Zika virus does not kill the children or their parents, or lower the fertility rate in any direct way.
It is likely that people in affected countries will have fewer children while the disease is raging, as a way of looking to stave off its effects on their babies. But that would be an incredibly inefficient way of keeping the population down.
The virus was not genetically engineered by the Rothschilds or the Rockefellers
The two big baddies of most conspiracy theories, many have claimed that the Rothschild family and/or the Rockefellers are responsible for the spread of the Zika virus. (It isn't clear why they would do this.)
This theory is laid out on one conspiracy website, Collective Evolution. That site claims that the Rockefeller Foundation "owns the patent on the virus", and that is being sold throughout the world.
But the ATCC doesn't collect copyrights. It's in fact a very useful medical resource, which stores and distributes microorganisms and other materials that allow companies and other researchers to inspect and build on existing knowledge.
The connection with the Rothschild Foundation here is because the virus was originally found by scientists working for it. Scientists dropped off a sample of the virus, taken from a rhesus monkey in Uganda, in the repository in 1947.
Or by another company called Oxitec, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
This is a largely similar idea: a British company called Oxitec was testing genetically engineered mosquitoes to stop the spread of the Zika virus, among other diseases. But those insects were actually spreading the disease — either by accident or on purpose, depending on who's telling you. (And all of this is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.)
All of this comes from a paper that shows that Oxitec was testing its proposal, of releasing genetically-engineered mosquitoes that kill their offspring and using it to reduce the number of dangerous mosquitoes in the wild.
The conspiracies emerged because of a Reddit post that pointed out the areas the mosquitoes were being released correlated with the areas that Zika outbreaks were happening. Both events pointed to a city called Juazeiro in Brazil.
But the Reddit post had got the wrong Juazeiro, pointed at a place 300km away. And even the correct Juazeiro is a long way from the places particularly affected by Zika, which are on the coast.
And the current, dangerous outbreak didn't even come from that area. It's thoughtto have spread from an outbreak in 2013, in French Polynesia.
Brazil says Zika outbreak will not affect summer Olympics
But there are genetically engineered mosquitoes in Brazil
It's true that people are trying to genetically engineer mosquitoes to combat Zika and other related viruses, though. The Oxitec trials are real, and are only just one part of a range of various projects to try and fight the Zika virus.
It might turn out that the solution to the mosquito-borne Zika virus is the mosquitoes themselves. Spreading fear about their use could delay solutions that are much-needed.
The virus wasn't created so that pharmaceutical companies could sell a vaccine or cure
This is something that gained particular traction with Ebola, and gets strengthened every time there is a new, major outbreak — they are being created as a way of making money for the pharmaceutical industry.
Often the argument for this takes the form of pointing out the narrative: a virus is found and it spreads quickly, explosively and dangerously. Then, as if by magic, a vaccine arrives and is heralded as a cure, so long as governments pay for it.
But that's also the obvious story. These diseases explode as a complete surprise, and originate from just one unknown place. Scientists start working hard to create a vaccine — and it is true that there is more of a financial motivation to do so — and then that work often leads to new cures or vaccines.
The pharmaceutical is a strange place, and it has often been pointed out that many of the companies involved have strange incentives that can lead to unusual results. But none of the major viruses spreading around the world have been provably created by any of its companies.
A baby born with microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. The condition has been linked to the Zika virus, transmitted by mosquitoes
Microcephaly has not been conclusively proven to be related to the virus — but it probably is
One of the big claims of conspiracy theorists is that babies being born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, aren't related to Zika. Instead, they're caused by one of the many favourite ills of conspiracy theorists: chemtrails, vaccines, or even the pesticides that are being used to fumigate areas where people at risk of mosquito bites.
It's true that there has been no conclusive connection between Zika and microcephaly. The World Health Organisation has said that "a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven."
"All experts agreed on the urgent need to coordinate international efforts to investigate and understand this relationship better," the WHO wrote in its latest Zika situation report.
But the evidence that there is a connection seems strong. Seven countries have reported an increase in cases of microcephaly when the Zika virus outbreak took hold, and doctors first became concerned when reports of babies with abnormally small heads rose rapidly — but it may turn out to be more complicated than that.
via : The Independent – Science
How to tell if someone is lying to you by watching their face
North Korea nuclear bomb test: What's the difference between a hydrogen and an atomic bomb? And why is it so worrying?
Indian bus driver becomes the first person in recorded history to be killed by a falling meteorite, authorities say
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The long suffering Charlie and his hyperactive sister Lola, familiar from I will not ever Never eat a tomato, return in a new book celebrating Lola's extravagantly imaginative avoidance behaviour at bedtime. Before Lola can be cajoled into bed, Charlie has to negotiate with thirsty tigers, a hungry lion, whales in the bath and pyjama-pinching dancing dogs. This is a satisfying little story in large picture book format that should appeal to both sleep-defying toddlers and their baby-sitting siblings. The visual impact of the book is cheerfully garish. The characters are depicted in a lively scrawl against flat blocks of colour broken by scattered items of photomontage, the overall effect being as hectic as Lola's hallucinations.