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Chapters (16)
Area Studies (20)
History in Africa (3)
Cambridge University Press (17)
African Studies Association (3)
Peter Mark, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, José da Silva Horta, Universidade de Lisboa
Book: The Forgotten Diaspora
Published online: 03 May 2011
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp 245-262
Visiting the coast of Sierra Leone in early 1667, the Frenchman Nicolas Villault engaged a local grumete or, as the Frenchman called him, a More [Maure] to carry him by boat along the Atlantic shore. Their small vessel was caught in rough seas, and the two men were in danger of drowning. The boatman, however, managed to bring them safely through the perilous passage. As they reached shore, and as soon as he had brought the raft out of the waves and onto the beach, this local More paused and offered a prayer. Villault writes:
Un jour allant à terre dans le Canos d'un More, en abordant, je l'entendis marmotter et comme j'oüis distinctement ces mots, Abraham, Isaac et Jacob, je l'interrogeay sur ce qu'il disait, il me répondit qu'il remerciait sa Fetiche de l'avoir preservé en Mer, et que tous les Mores en faisaient le mesme.
In a previous paragraph the Frenchman describes the religion of Sierra Leone as diverse; some Africans had been converted by the Portuguese (to what religion he does not say, but the reader may presume Catholicism), and the remainder were "Mahometan ou Idolâtre." He makes a general observation that the inhabitants "worshiped certain extravagant figures they name 'Fetiches'."
However, he does not directly comment on the fact that the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are associated not with Islam, or even specifically with the Catholic faith of most grumetes. Rather, he leaves it to his reader to make the association to Judaism.
3 - Religious Interaction
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp 83-102
"Disserão ao rei que nós os católicos … adoravamos em pedras e em paus."
The Jews of the Petite Côte were protected from representatives of the Inquisition by the local Wolof and Sereer elite who were, in large part, Muslims. The historical context of Jewish-Muslim relations in the century following the expulsion or forced conversion of Iberian Jews sheds light on the relations that developed between the Jews of Senegal's Petite Côte, and the neighboring Muslim rulers. The long passage written around 1608 by Sebastião Fernandes Cação, cited in Chapter 1, clearly indicates that the Jews of Porto d'Ale enjoyed a measure of protection against Portuguese Christians.
The Senegalese ruler who took the side of the Jews was the Teigne, or Teeñ, the Wolof leader of the state known as Baol. He was a Muslim. It was clearly in his economic self-interest to welcome the newly established Jewish merchants. With their ties to Holland, these men provided competition for the Portuguese and Luso-African merchants based in the Cape Verde Islands and at Cacheu, located in northern present-day Guinea-Bissau about 200 kilometers south of the Petite Côte, and also for the English and the French who, sometimes with the help of the lançados and Luso-Africans, traded in the king's land. Nevertheless, one wonders whether something more was at issue. Was this ruler consciously following Muslim law, by extending protected or dhimmi status to the Jews who had settled on or adjacent to his territory?
5 - The Luso-African Ivories as Historical Source for the Weapons Trade and for the Jewish Presence in Guinea of Cape Verde
Objects of material culture are documents of their time and place. Artifacts, just as much as written sources, provide information and insight into historical events. In addition, they serve as graphic evidence of contact among different cultures, illustrating trade networks and shedding light on the accompanying exchange of technology and even of ideas. Images, and the symbolism that they encompass and express, may give voice to concepts and even to beliefs that are not readily committed to or expressed in writing. The object, when situated and interpreted within the specific cultural and historical context that engendered it, complements and enriches the study of more traditional historical documents such as travel narratives and archival records. Material culture therefore can be crucial to the study of the history of cultural and religious interaction.
Today approximately 150 artworks have been identified by scholars as belonging to the "corpus" of carved ivories from West Africa. Although they are usually referred to as "Afro-Portuguese" ivories, these pieces are more appropriately referred to as Luso-African ivories. The latter term reflects their creation by West African sculptors working within Africa. The objects, although hybrid in inspiration, are far more African than Portuguese. No documentary evidence exists to indicate that any of the ivories were carved by African artists living in Portugal. West African artists created the sculptures within the context of their own cultures.
The Forgotten Diaspora
Jewish Communities in West Africa and the Making of the Atlantic World
Peter Mark, José da Silva Horta
Print publication: 14 March 2011
Buy the print book
This book traces the history of early seventeenth-century Portuguese Sephardic traders who settled in two communities on Senegal's Petite Côte. There, they lived as public Jews, under the spiritual guidance of a rabbi sent by the newly established Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam and were protected from agents of the Inquisition by local Muslim rulers. The Petite Côte communities included several Jews of mixed Portuguese-African heritage as well as African wives, offspring, and servants. The blade weapons trade was an important part of their commercial activities. These merchants participated marginally in the slave trade but fully in the arms trade, illegally supplying West African markets with swords. This arms trade depended on artisans and merchants based in Morocco, Lisbon, and northern Europe and affected warfare in the Sahel and along the Upper Guinea Coast. The study discovers previously unknown Jewish communities and by doing so offers a reinterpretation of the dynamics and processes of identity construction throughout the Atlantic world.
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp 1-19
This is a book about the history of Portuguese Jews in an overseas diaspora. In a sense it is a chapter of the historical narrative of Portuguese discoveries and expansion, and of the rivalry with other European countries. It certainly is part of the long history of Sephardic attempts to survive and adjust to adverse conditions, at a moment when they were compelled to seek a life of safety in lands distant from the Iberian Peninsula. But it is, as well, a chapter of the history of West Africa. Together with both Jewish and Christian Portuguese, African societies opened coastal and riverine paths to an Atlantic world in construction since the fifteenth century. In doing so they shared responsibility for the impact of their local and regional histories throughout a wider, even a global world. In many ways, African and Eurafrican agency made possible the complex intercultural relationships that constitute the subject of this book. As historians we seek answers to this apparently simple query: How was it possible for Portuguese to engage in trade and also to be Jews in an African setting?
A long process of Portuguese expansion led up to the seventeenth-century events that are at the core of this work. The Portuguese quest for gold, slaves, and imagined Christian allies started in the early fifteenth century under the political initiative of Prince Henry and the support of the recently established Avis dynasty.
1 - Two Sephardic Communities on Senegal's Petite Côte
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp 20-51
En este puerto dali ay una aldea de cien vecinos portuguesses y negros. A este puerto vinieron de Flandes gente que professa la ley de Moyssen y acen all[i] y guardan sus ritos y cerimonias como los de Judea y los portuguesses quiriendo matar los y echar los de alli corieron mucho riesgo porque acudio el Rey y les dijo que su tiera era feria donde podia auitar todo genero de jente y que nadie se descompassiese en ella que les mandaria cortar las cabeças; que la guera si la querian la hiciessen en la mar y no en su tiera que ya dicho que era feria.
In this puerto dali there is a community with 100 families ["100 vizinhos"; in Portuguese, literally "neighbours," which may correspond to persons and/or families] of Portuguese and blacks. To this port came people from Flanders who profess the law of Moses and here they do and maintain their rituals and ceremonies like the ones of Judea [i.e., the land of the Jews]. And the Portuguese seeking to kill them and expel them from that place ran a serious risk. Because the king took the side of the [Jews] and he told the [Portuguese] that his land was a market where all kinds of people had a right to live. And that no one would cause disorder in his land; otherwise, he would order that their heads be cut off. […]
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp ix-x
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp vii-viii
2 - Jewish Identity in Senegambia
Identity in Senegambia
Identity in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Senegambia was remarkably fluid. Individuals, as we have both argued elsewhere, often held multiple identities. These identities could be sequential, but they tended to be contextually contingent. This was true of the members of local African societies, but also of the Eurafrican descendents of unions between African women and European traders who had settled for varied lengths of time along the coast. Contextually determined and potentially multiple identities characterized the Luso-African offspring of the lançados (emigrants from Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands, including many New Christians, who had settled on the coast and thrown in their lot with local communities). For all of these peoples, identity was actually defined by their profession, by the languages they spoke, as well as by their religion and their material culture.
For example, to be considered a Juula in Senegambia was to be a professional trader and a Muslim and to speak the Manding language. In similar manner, to be "Portuguese" was to be a long-distance trader, to be Christian, and to speak Portuguese or – by the seventeenth century – Portuguese Crioulo. In addition, "Portuguese" traders were distinguished by their European clothing, they armed themselves with European blade weapons, and they often lived in so-called Portuguese style houses – that is, rectangular, whitewashed houses with verandahs. These dwellings constituted physical representations of the owners' social identity; the building showcased the individual's wealth and social status, characteristics that in turn helped to establish "Portuguese" identity.
Appendix I - The Jewish Traders of Porto d'Ale and Joal, Their Relatives, and Some of Their New Christian Partners in Senegambia and in the United Provinces and Portugal: A Comprehensive List (ca. 1606–ca. 1635)
Abraham Farque – "Homem português" born in Aveiro. The Portuguese Christian name was unknown to the Inquisition witnesses.
António Lopes de Mesquita/Moisés de Mesquita – A mulatto of Oporto, he is said to be "mulatto do Porto" but also "do Algarve" (ANTT, Inquisição de Lisboa, livro 205, fol. 294v and 576), which makes it difficult precisely to identify his origins. As the other two mestizo Jews referred to in the Inquisition sources are from two different places in Alentejo (an anonymous individual) and Algarve (Diogo de Sousa from Faro), both regions in the south of Portugal, he is the only one mentioned with a Oporto origin. He returns to Amsterdam by the early 1620s and rapidly achieves high status within the Amsterdam community (see Chapter 6). In ca. 1633, a "fulano [unknown first name] de Mesquita," who seems not to be the same man, but a son or a relative (ANTT, Inquisição de Lisboa, livro 217, fol. 464), is cited as a public Jew in Porto d'Ale. Moisés de Mesquita died in 1680 in Amsterdam.
"Fulano" de Mesquita – See António Lopes de Mesquita.
António Marques – He is accused of having protected or collaborated with the public Jews (ANTT, Inquisição de Lisboa, livro 205, fol. 577).
António Nunes alias António Noble, António Nobre or António Nunes Nobre – He is the brother of João Lopes da Costa alias Lourenço Francisco; both arrived on the Guinea coast in the ships of the contratador João Soeiro.
6 - The Later Years
The establishment of two communities of Jewish merchants on Senegal's Petite Côte before 1612 is abundantly detailed both in the archives of the Lisbon Inquisition and in the complementary information preserved in the notary records of Amsterdam's Municipal Archives. The subsequent economic transformations that affected commerce at Joal and Porto d'Ale are also illustrated in these records, but the individual itineraries of the men whose early lives took them from Lisbon to Amsterdam and on to Senegal, are often more difficult to trace.
In the following pages, we situate the subsequent evolution of Joal and Porto d'Ale within the broader context of Portuguese trade with the Cape Verde Islands and within Guiné do Cabo Verde, as that evolution relates both to increasing northern European involvement in the Guinea trade and to changing relations with local Senegambian rulers. We also address the rather complex question: What, if any, was the nature of the two communities' involvement in the Atlantic slave trade?
By 1620, several of the early Sephardic merchants on the Petite Côte had returned to Amsterdam. What factors occasioned their decision to leave West Africa? Had they from the beginning envisioned Joal and Porto d'Ale as only temporary homes? The return to the Netherlands leads us to reflect, in the following pages, upon another, closely related question of enduring historical significance: Several of the original Portuguese settlers on the Petite Côte, as well as some of their offspring and accompanying household members, are described as Africans or of mixed origin.
4 - The Blade Weapons Trade in Seventeenth-Century West Africa
Recently discovered archival sources of the Lisbon Inquisition document the production of blade weapons, or armas brancas, by Lisbon-based artisans, working with traders who contracted for the swords. Many of these contractors were New Christians, during a thirty-year period from 1590 to 1618. The weapons were transported to the Rivers of Guinea, where they were traded to African elites. After 1608, the Jewish merchants who had settled on the Petite Côte became important players in this coastal commerce. In West Africa, the weapons were exchanged for slaves and other goods. This commerce in swords and daggers contravened a Papal Bull that prohibited Christians from trading weapons to non-Christians. The commerce, largely ignored by historians, is corroborated by Portuguese travel narratives from the period. However, the weapons trade actually had its origins in the mid-fifteenth century, with the arrival of the Portuguese on the Atlantic coast of West Africa.
Both the production and the military use of "armas brancas" – the name refers to the white tinge of steel-bladed hand weapons – was highly developed in Portugal. These specialized arms came in many different forms. Espadas were double-edged, full-length swords that were wielded in the right hand. The more readily handled terçados mentioned earlier, were ideal for cavalry use. Short arms took the form of adagas, with a broad, short, and pointed blade, generally with two cutting edges; and punhais, with narrower and smaller blades. The adaga, corresponding more closely to the English "dagger," was wielded in the left hand.
Appendix II - A Chronological Outline of the Institutional Proceedings against the Jews of Porto d'Ale and Joal (1611–1643)
The situation that prevailed on the Petite Côte, outlined by Sebastião Fernandes Cação ca. 1608 in Madrid as part of his Relación, shortly thereafter came to the attention of Philip III and the government of Portugal, as well as to the attention of the "Companhia de Jesus." The religious question became mixed with economic and administrative issues, and with the judicial inquiry into the activity of the contratador João Soeiro, particularly his activities relating to commerce with the Dutch through the intermediary of his brother in Amsterdam. The question of the participation of the Jews on the coast in commerce with foreigners, including the English and the French, is raised again in an opinion about an undated petition of the Municipal Chamber of Ribeira Grande (Cape Verde Islands). This petition dates to 1610–1615 (MMA, IV, p. 563). The issue is also raised in the reports of at least four governors of Cape Verde before 1640. What follows is a chronological reconstruction of the manner in which the communities of Porto d'Ale and Joal entered the consciousness of local and metropolitan Portuguese institutions, and how those bodies responded.
A letter dated November 1611 from Philip III to the government of Portugal concerning an inquiry by the Conselho da Índia mentions an opinion of the Governor of Cape Verde, D. Francisco de Sequeira, "about people of the nation of New Christians who live as public Jews on the coast of Guiné."
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp xi-xvi
Frontmatter
Print publication: 14 March 2011, pp i-vi
Two Early Seventeenth-Century Sephardic Communities on Senegal's Petite Cote
Journal: History in Africa / Volume 31 / 2004
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 May 2014, pp. 231-256
Portuguese archives contain a wealth of documents that are insufficiently utilized by, and often unknown to, historians of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century west Africa. Lusophone sources are crucial for the period of earliest contact between Europeans and West Africans. While the publications of Avelino Teixeira da Mota are widely known, the work of contemporary Portuguese scholars such as Maria Emilia Madeira Santos, Maria Manuel Torrão, and Maria João Soares does not have the same visibility except among lusophone scholars. Relatively few Africanists have recognized the potential significance of the Portuguese archives for Senegambia, a region generally considered within the orbit of francophone or anglophone west Africa. The Portuguese archives remain a rich source of hitherto unknown documents, some of which will lead to fundamental transformations in our historical knowledge of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Upper Guinea coast.
The two of us have worked extensively on the history of the Luso-Africans in Senegambia and the Guinea of Cape Verde. Mark has investigated the construction and evolution of their identity. Horta, in particular, has for many years focused on their representation in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Portuguese sources. Both writers have argued elsewhere—following Boulègue and Moraes—that among these Luso-Africans—or "Portuguese" as they were known in contemporary sources—there were New Christians, some of whom were probably practicing Jews. Evidence of the Jewish presence in west Africa remained scanty, however, and we argued that if some "Christian" Portuguese were in fact practicing Jews, they were Jews primarily in the privacy of their own communities.
Evidence for a Luso-African Identity in "Portuguese" Accounts on "Guinea of Cape Verde" (Sixteenth-Seventeenth Centuries)1
Journal: History in Africa / Volume 27 / January 2000
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 May 2014, pp. 99-130
Print publication: January 2000
Portugal and Western Africa have built a common history since the middle of the fifteenth century. In this century the Portuguese maritime expansion was a pioneer movement within the European expansion process. It established an uninterrupted connection between societies that had never met before. After a short period of Portuguese warlike activities (1436-48), the African resistance to enslavement, inter alia, forced a radical change of strategy. By 1460 the Portuguese had explored the western African coast as far as the present Sierra Leone, and had begun to establish with African societies a fairly peaceful relationship founded on mutual trade interests. Within this context, Christianity, although it might be faced in a different way by each culture, constituted a common "language," a path to find approaching ground and fulfil reciprocal needs.
From the beginning, the Portuguese Crown attempted to establish a monopoly on the European coastal and riverine activities, an attempt that was progressively challenged, in loco, by the French, the English and the Dutch, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. But the State interests were also challenged by illegal private traders that came both from the Iberian Peninsula and Santiago Island and had their own agents in Guinea.
The geographical basis for trade activities (legal and illegal) were, at least until the 1560s, the Cape Verde islands, which were discovered ca. 1460-1462. Trade—together with the strategic value of the archipelago to the Atlantic navigation—was the reason why the colonization of the main island, Santiago, began very early, in 1462, followed, at the end of the century, by Fogo island.
La Perception Du Mande et De L'Identite Mandingue Dans Les Textes Europeens, 1453–1508*
Jose da Silva Horta
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 May 2014, pp. 75-86
Aujourd'hui il n'est plus polémique reconnaître l'importance des textes européens pour l'étude des societes africaines qui ont établi des contacts avec les marchants, les missionaires, les prêtres, les aventuriers venus d'Europe en passant, ou même pour s'établir en Afrique. Aussi, ont-ils reçu des échos d'autres gens plus lointains, échos qui, parfois se révèlent des informations précieuses. Mais, en même temps, on a actuellement une vive conscience des problèmes d'interprétation et des doutes de crédibilité qui subissent les chercheurs à qui les textes européens puissent être utiles. Il serait presque inutile de rappeler que ces problèmes-là ne sont pas un exclusif de la manipulation des sources européennes mais se posent aussi, en ce qui concerne l'histoire de l'Afrique Occidentale, pour les sources arabes d'origine extérieure aux sociétés étudiées.
Les textes véhiculent des représentations: leurs données sur les sociétés africaines sont une construction mentale d'une réalité extérieure perçue, (re)construction qui implique la mobilisation des schémas mentaux intériorisés et d'existence préalable et autonome envers cette réalité extérieure. Des représentations qui se bornent aux limites d'un observateur ou rédacteur dont la pensée est ordonnée par des catégories européennes, exogènes à l'object de connaissance et qui, de façon plus élargie, sont relatives aux conditions de production du texte en cause.
Ce sont précisement les représentations qui font l'object de recherche auquel cet étude se situe: un object de charnière entre l'histoire européenne et l'histoire de l'Afrique. Il demande un double positionement et approche soit des sociétés européennes (qui produisent un discours anthropologique sur l'Africain), soit des sociétés africaines (object dinamique de ces représentations).


Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics and Dynamics pdf A main aim in a first course in mechanics would be to help develop a student's skill initially to examine problems in a very simple and logical fashion, then to apply fundamental principles to their own solutions. A solid conceptual comprehension of those fundamental mechanics principles is vital for solving solving mechanics problems. Continuing in the spirit of its successful previous editions, this edition supplies conceptually accurate and comprehensive coverage with a substantial refreshment of their exercise places and internet delivery of assignment problems for your pupils. This variant has undergone a complete rewrite to revise and enhance the speech via text. More than 650 of those homework problems in the text are either revised or new. Among the qualities of the approach employed in this publication is that mechanisms of contamination is clearly separated in the mechanisms of rigid bodies.
This strategy makes it feasible to think about simple practical applications from an early stage and also to postpone the debut of the harder concepts.McGraw Hill Education's Link, can also be available as an optional, add on thing. Connect is the sole integrated learning system which enables students by always adapting to deliver exactly what they want, when they want it, the way they want it, so that class time is more successful. Issues are randomized to stop consumption of answers an may even have a "multi-step solution" that can help move the pupils' learning along should they encounter difficulty.


A player must make every effort to avoid interference and provide an opponent with the above three freedoms. A stroke is awarded against a player failing to do this.
No. 1 above means: the incoming striker should not have to run around an opponent to get to the ball; and the outgoing player must not move back into the path of the incoming striker.
After hitting, a player may have to circle back to position on the T to allow an opponent straight access to the ball. A player has no right to move directly back to the T or to stand on the T.
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LET, NO LET, STROKE – HOW TO DECIDE?
No let is where a player appeals for a let but the appeal is refused. The happens when the player could not have got to or returned the ball or where there was no interference.


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Oral History: World War II
Oral History World War Ii
World War II was one of the most prolific events for our time. It changed the socio-economic and political of the world in so many regards. As it would, it significantly impacted on the American people and how they went about their daily lives. World War II was important because it changed how the worlds greatest nations interacted, gave rise to new technology and breakthroughs in diplomacy. The war was defined by major personalities that included Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, General Dwight Eisenhower, Adolf Hitler of Germany, Joseph Stalin of Russia, Benito Mussolini of Italy and Winston Churchill of Britain. These personalities were crucial to this war as they steered the course of the war based on their ideologies and egos. This war was very important because it was more personal than the first war and, therefore, meant that more countries were invested in it. Secondly, this war was characterized by many war crimes and other significant events such as the German Holocaust and the incessant bombing of civilians (e.g. in London). The use of new technology in attacking the enemy also stood out in the war as is evidenced by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States of America in 1945 using atomic bombs which consequently led to many health problems for the Japanese population millions of years later CITATION AJP61 \l 2057 (Taylor). Thirdly, World War II gave birth to many organizations such as the United Nations that was established to find more diplomatic techniques to deal with the tension between nations rather than resorting to war. Other notable organizations that came up include the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
If this sample essay on"Oral History: World War II" doesn't help,
Notably, over 85 million people died in this war, one of the largest demographics recorded in history. The war left quite a lasting legacy on so many fronts. First, it led to the creation of democratic states in Italy, Russia and Germany especially after the fall of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. These countries were rid of fascist and dictatorial governments and gave rise to an era of US and Russian superiority. Countries like Germany were able to reconstruct themselves after the unpalatable event of the Holocaust. Secondly, the war greatly impacted the economy of countries like the United States of America as it went into overdrive in manufacturing weapons and industrial tools in order to remain relevant in the war.
It is obvious that the American people changed during and after the war. During and before the war, the typical American listened to the local programming on the radio, went out to church or for ice cream or even work. They even enjoyed going to the movies, but all this changed when Japan attacked at Pearl Harbour, and that is when it dawned on the American citizen that indeed the war was grave and that America was about to get seriously involved in the war CITATION Fra41 \l 2057 (Kluckhohn). The war came as a blessing in disguise as it was the mark of the end of the Great Depression that had plagued America after the First World War. Many unemployed Americans returned to work especially in the manufacturing industry to make the weapons that would propel the United States victory. Secondly, since the nation was going to war, it needed great conscription and mobilization; this necessitated the emergence of the business community who had to oversee production costs. Eventually with time, more Americans jumped onto the war bandwagon as a result of successful war propaganda and put in more concerted efforts to support the war. Many Americans adopted frugality in terms of the use of
metals and rubber that would be reserved for making war weapons. Citizens became more industrious in supporting themselves, and this saw the rise of domestic farming for family consumption.
The war affected different individuals on various levels. For instance, many had their college education interrupted and as a result, they had to enlist in the army in order to fight in the war. Richard was a student at Minot State College in North Dakota when the war started. He vividly remembers having food, gas and clothing being rationed and many communities conducted scrap metal drives in order to build the required armaments that were necessary to win the war. Furthermore, many of the citizens relied on radio reports and accounts to get a hint of were going on during the war. However, the radio served as an alternative outlet for the citizens as it provided a much-needed distraction from the war. Worst of all, Japanese Americans had their citizenship revoked as they were suspected of being spies, especially after the Pearl Harbour attack.
The war affected America personally as compared to the previous war. Firstly, it was directly involved in the war fighting as part of the Allied powers together with Great Britain and Russia (formerly USSR). America experienced some of the most significant inventions of its time at this time such as the atomic bomb. Secondly, citizens had to learn how to be frugal in the face of the war as resources were scarce and expensive. For example, in 1945, engineers developed an electronic brain for the US Army, which was referred to as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer that served as precedence for the development of code and computers CITATION Ham15 \l 2057 (Hampson).
It is proof that a myriad of information is at our disposal and that technology has played a great role in the preservation of history and the tales told by the people who were personally involved in the war. Of significance are the personal tales of the veterans and ordinary citizens because they experienced the war differently from the leaders at the time and other elitist groups. As America emerged as a superpower, many citizens also developed a heightened sense of patriotism as this confirmed that the United States of America was the great country that it had always claimed to be. Secondly, the war changed the social strata of the world due to the horrifying events such as the German Holocaust. As a result of such genocide, the world aimed to do a better job at protecting the rights of all people. It also confirmed my conviction that political egos often get in the way of rational decisions such as the decision to bomb Pearl Harbour by the Japanese. These wars did not have the interest of the average American in place as it was to gratify the ideologies of the leaders at the time. For instance, Adolf Hitlers quest to conquer the world was an egocentric move that was camouflaged as a venture to restore the dignity of Germany especially after its loss in the First World War.
Conducting this research has taught me a few valuable lessons. Firstly, political ideologies fuel the world and leaders will always bank on them to sway the masses to action. Secondly, history often tends to repeat itself and so it is paramount to learn the lessons to avoid repetition of mistakes. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and events occur again as if we did not experience them already. Secondly, necessity is the mother of inventions, great technological and communication advances were made in this era by different countries in order to exert superiority over the other. This eventually proved beneficial to the rest of the world as it eased how we interacted with each other e.g. the internet. Lastly, man is willing to give greatly of himself especially for a cause that he considers important as evidenced by the millions of men who went to war for their country. War is an invention of man but a necessary ill.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Hampson, Rick. 70 Years later: How World War II Changed America. 18 July 2015. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/18/70-years-later-how-world-war-ii-changed-america/30334203/. 15 March 2016.
Kluckhohn, Franklin. Only One Negative Vote as President Calls to War and Victory. 8 December 1941. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1208.html. 15 March 2016.
Taylor, A.J.P. "Origins of The Second World War." Taylor, A.J.P. Origins of The Second World War. 1961. 1-98.
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Home > Journals > Radiation Research > Volume 180 > Issue 2 > Article
2 July 2013 Quercetin Inhibits Radiation-Induced Skin Fibrosis
Jason A. Horton, Fei Li, Eun Joo Chung, Kathryn Hudak, Ayla White, Kristopher Krausz, Frank Gonzalez, Deborah Citrin
Jason A. Horton,1 Fei Li,2 Eun Joo Chung,1 Kathryn Hudak,1 Ayla White,1 Kristopher Krausz,2 Frank Gonzalez,2 Deborah Citrin1,*
1aRadiation Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
2bLaboratory of Metabolism, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
*Address for correspondence: Radiation Oncology Branch, CCR, National Cancer Institute, 10-CRC-Hatfield Clinical Research Center, B2-3500, Bethesda, MD 20892-1682; e-mail: citrind@mail.nih.gov.
Radiation Research, 180(2):205-215 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1667/RR3237.1
Radiation induced fibrosis of the skin is a late toxicity that may result in loss of function due to reduced range of motion and pain. The current study sought to determine if oral delivery of quercetin mitigates radiation-induced cutaneous injury. Female C3H/HeN mice were fed control chow or quercetin-formulated chow (1% by weight). The right hind leg was exposed to 35 Gy of X rays and the mice were followed serially to assess acute toxicity and hind leg extension. Tissue samples were collected for assessment of soluble collagen and tissue cytokines. Human and murine fibroblasts were subjected to clonogenic assays to determine the effects of quercetin on radiation response. Contractility of fibroblasts was assessed with a collagen contraction assay in the presence or absence of quercetin and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Western blotting of proteins involved in fibroblast contractility and TGF-β signaling were performed. Quercetin treatment significantly reduced hind limb contracture, collagen accumulation and expression of TGF-β in irradiated skin. Quercetin had no effect on the radioresponse of fibroblasts or murine tumors, but was capable of reducing the contractility of fibroblasts in response to TGF-β, an effect that correlated with partial stabilization of phosphorylated cofilin. Quercetin is capable of mitigating radiation induced skin fibrosis and should be further explored as a therapy for radiation fibrosis.
Jason A. Horton, Fei Li, Eun Joo Chung, Kathryn Hudak, Ayla White, Kristopher Krausz, Frank Gonzalez, and Deborah Citrin "Quercetin Inhibits Radiation-Induced Skin Fibrosis," Radiation Research 180(2), 205-215, (2 July 2013). https://doi.org/10.1667/RR3237.1
Received: 26 October 2012; Accepted: 1 March 2013; Published: 2 July 2013
Jason A. Horton, Fei Li, Eun Joo Chung, Kathryn Hudak, Ayla White, Kristopher Krausz, Frank Gonzalez, Deborah Citrin "Quercetin Inhibits Radiation-Induced Skin Fibrosis," Radiation Research, 180(2), 205-215, (2 July 2013)


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The Events Network Trust
TENT / The E Network Trust is a non-profit organisation providing bespoke support services to Eastern Bay of Plenty organisations.
We currently support approximately a dozen charities providing one-off assistance with strategic planning, marketing coordination, volunteer recruitment, police vetting, operational development, graphic design and seed funding. We also mentor, consult, provide networking and skills workshops and act as a coordinator for community initiatives such as a local food rescue project, Community Christmas Lunch event and Homelessness Steering Committee.
Most recently, we bought an existing business and launched a social enterprise. 4GOOD Vending provides our organisation with a sustainable source of revenue to support our goals but can also support the organisations we serve. To date we have raised funds for the local RSA on Anzac Day, raised funds for a local primary school that had a devastating fire, held a Meet the Locals networking event and paid for an activity at a large community event as fundraiser.
TENT believes a vibrant, healthy and safe community is created when we build an environment that not only recognises the efforts of those that contribute to the needs of the community but also creates an exciting energy that encourages engagement and working together for the overall wellbeing of the community. We also believe that every community has its own specific needs when it comes to charitable support and by providing bespoke support services we can...HELP THOSE WHO HELP OTHERS in our region.
Support our social enterprise so that more revenue can be used to support our local charitable organisations. With your donation, we can reduce the amount of funds we need for operations which will mean more revenue from 4GOOD Vending will go directly to the organisations we serve and also allows us to increase the number of organisations we can support.
As with many charitable organisations, TENT receives financial support through donations and grants. However, we also generate funds through contracted services to the general public. Any funds received are used to ensure that the services we provide are meeting the specific needs of the organisations in our community that we work with.
The E Network Trust / TENT is a registered non-profit that acts as an umbrella organisation to provide bespoke support services to a variety of community focused causes and projects. We use our skills, experiences and resources to assist charitable organisations and causes in our region. Our focus is to develop and support activities which will build the capacity and sustainability of the social sector in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
www.tent.org.nz
Created by, and paying to a verified bank account of, The E Network Trust / TENT (Charity)
You can create your own fundraising page create your own fundraising page that pays directly to The Events Network Trust.
Want to get in touch with The E Network Trust / TENT?


Knurled Adapters and Protectors Are Here!
Helix Airsoft Steel Knurled Thread Protectors and Adapters are back in stock! Grab one before we run out again because apparently it takes 6 months to...nevermind.
In stock in orange or brown!
Dual pack or motor tune up!


True Education is inclusive of all. It goes beyond rules and studies. The crucial nuances of education prepare a child for challenging and goal oriented scenarios. As educators, one of the prime motives we apply is a calculated and tested methodology to drive and steer forward the vision students hold for their future. Rather than solely relying on books as a means to evolve, we believe in imparting life values and core principles that are essential in any endeavor.


Het Nieuwe Instituut is situated in the centre of Rotterdam, about 15 minutes on foot from Rotterdam CS railway station. The building is part of the Museumpark and is located diagonally opposite Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Het Nieuwe Instituut can be reached using public transport, with the metro (to Eendrachtsplein), tram 7 (to Museumpark), tram 4 (to Eendrachtsplein) and bus 44 (to Wytemaweg). Paid on-street parking in the vicinity of Het Nieuwe Instituut is limited, but the Museumpark car park is situated opposite. Save money on one or two hours parking in Rotterdam. Rotterdam city council provides special parking tickets, available on the website Parking in Rotterdam (Dutch).
Het Nieuwe Instituut has a disabled parking space. Ring the bell at the barrier opposite Sonneveld House on the Jongkindstraat and drive to the end of the car park, where a member of the Reception team will meet you. Het Nieuwe Instituut also has a wheelchair for visitors who require one. Sonneveld House has limited access for people with disabilities and is not accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs.


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[Review] Aqua Kitty UDX (Nintendo Switch)
February 19, 2018 11:58 pm Published by Solid Jack Leave your thoughts
Developer: Tikipod
Publisher: Tikipod
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Arcade, First Person & Action
Release Date: 15th of February, 2018 (Worldwide)
When it comes to milk, there's nothing these Cravendale kitties won't do to get it!
Have you ever wanted to play a game that throws all sense of sanity and reality out of the window? There's loads of games that fit the bill and are out on Nintendo Switch already, with Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 being the most recent examples, but they're not the only games that released last week, because so did Aqua Kitty UDX and it is even more bonkers.
As the most definitive version of Aqua Kitty UDX, Aqua Kitty UDX is a side-scrolling shooter that truly does away with any kind of a sensible plot as it is all about cats, their submarines and their mission to mine milk from the sea floor, all because milk has dried up on land (I'm guessing no one told them that it comes from cows.) But, unfortunately, the sea floor is not a safe place, because while the feline miners don't have to deal with currents, the bends or even vertigo, what they do have are some Splatoon 2 Salmon Run rejects, in the form of mechanised marine life that will either shoot you, destroy their little mining facilitates, or just come along, grab them and fly off into space with them. (I did say Aqua Kitty UDX is weird right?)
Out of 3 modes Aqua Kitty UDX has to offer, it's only in 2 of them that you'll have to experience this weirdness, as the third and quite frankly, the best mode Aqua Kitty UDX possesses, is Dreadnought, but we'll get to that in time. For now, let's start with Classic and Arcade mode. The 2 are pretty the same thing, as they feature the same amount of levels and exactly the same style of gameplay, but they are separated by two aspects with one being lives.
In Classic mode, which has both an Easy and Normal difficulty setting, with even Easy mode being able to give you some form of a challenge, especially in the later levels, you play as a cat, in control of a submarine, tasked with battling waves of marine life. Most are solely interested in killing you, but as stated before, there are some creatures that just want to run off with the miners that are represented by white dots on the screen. You don't need to have all of them present on the screen, by the time you finish the last wave and pick off the last enemy, as one will suffice, but the more miners you're able to keep safe, the more points you'll be able to acquire when the level ends, which can then be uploaded to the online leaderboards, if you're online. So, whenever you see one of them in trouble, by rushing over and taking down the Jellyfish-like creature that is in the middle of cat-napping one of your workers, as long as you kill it before it's flown away completely, the miner will return from whence they came and return to duty.
The only time you're required to do a little bit more than that in Classic mode though, is on the levels where you must also defeat a mechanised boss, first by removing their defences and then depleting their life bar. Sadly, shooting the bosses will not be enough as the infinite, yet slower fire power you can use by holding A, only does so much and your Turbo Fire (B,) although it is more powerful, once its associated bar is empty, you'll need to let it recharge before using it again. Additionally, whilst the screen will continue if you pass a miner and keep heading right, not only will you pass them again, but unless you use R or L to change the direction you're facing, upon heading left, when facing right, you will be travelling at a slower pace, in contrast to the accelerated speed experienced when heading forwards.
Mastering your turns and knowing when to act, is not necessary in the earlier levels of Easy mode for classic, but they are a necessity for Arcade mode, because unlike Classic mode, which is the main campaign that can be played with a friend or by yourself, Arcade mode is much like a roguelike. You, or you and your friend only get one chance at each run, so if you lose all your miners or hearts in a single level, its game over and you need to start all over again. The only good news with Arcade though, is that enemies now drop a Green Zelda Rupee looking form of currency, which can be traded in for upgrades such as rear fire, vertical fire and even diagonal fire.
Coincidentally, those forms of fire can also be used in both Dreadnaught mode and Classic, provided you destroy the colour changing enemies that drop the items that will temporarily empower you, or just turn out to be a bomb that will clear the screen, as it bombards your enemies. Should Arcade mode on Normal difficulty not be gruelling enough for you though, there is always Infinite Espresso, which is essentially an Endless mode. The best mode however, is of course, Dreadnought. With Dreadnought, although there miners you can save on each of the levels, your task in the Meowiana Trench is to take down the gigantic, yet submerged Dreadnoughts, first by destroying their defences and then by destroying their core.
Personally speaking, Dreadnought is the best mode Aqua Kitty UDX possesses, as it feels more action packed and on the whole, feels like it represents Aqua Kitty UDX better, especially since visually the sprite work is not all that when Aqua Kitty UDX is played in handheld mode, as everything looks way too small, but is a mode that is Aqua Kitty UDX at its finest. It's the mode that will take you the longest to complete, due to its increasing difficulty, but even then, it's something that can be done within an hour or two depending on your skill level and is the only actually feature that offers any real replay value, as even with Cat-chievements present, they feel more like there just there for show. Obviously they're not, as they can be fun to get, but much like Aqua Kitty UDX on the whole, the Cat-chievements sound good in theory, but more could have been done to make it an easier sale.
Despite being a game that in my book, would be an immediate write off as there Aqua Kitty UDX, really strikes me as the kind of game that I'd usually try to avoid, it's also a game that for some, has the potential to be their next guilty pleasure. A game that could be booted up at any time, provided they have a spare 10 minutes. I still stand by the fact though that the sprites should have been bigger to have made handheld mode more attractive, because playing with a friend in handheld, is a mess that does the game no good whatsoever as it leads to plenty of frustration and dying. But hey, the soundtrack isn't that bad, so there is a silver lining in that at least.
THE VERDICT: 7/10
*Review Key Provided by Tikipod
Tags: Aqua Kitty UDX, eShop, Feature, Nintendo Switch, review, Tikipod
Categorised in: eShop, Nintendo Switch, Reviews


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Insight Security
£205 million retail theft in just 12 months Wednesday 31st October 2007
The value of retail theft in the UK for the last 12 months was estimated at £205 million, but that figure only relates to those £205 million retail theft in just 12 months ...and that's only counting where thieves were prosecuted
The value of retail theft in the UK for the last 12 months was estimated at £205 million, but that figure only relates to those cases where perpetrators were prosecuted.
The Retail Association estimate the actual figure to be very much higher ...and at least £600 million for the period.
Given the intense competition on the high street, the last thing that any retailer needs is significant losses from theft, but there are several security products available which can help, here are just a few;
Retail alarm systems for goods on display include loop alarms and track alarms;
http://www.insight-security.com/ala-loop.htm
Security mirrors are a low cost product that will help staff to monitor customer actions;
http://www.insight-security.com/mirror-retail-security.htm
Digital CCTV systems are now more affordable than ever and an essential tool for the retailer;
http://www.insight-security.com/cctvgen.htm
These are just a few of the options, for further advice on security for businesses, visit;
http://www.insight-security.com/solutionfinder.htm
For more information on £205 million retail theft in just 12 months Wednesday 31st October 2007 talk to Insight Security
Please send me more information on £205 million retail theft in just 12 months Wednesday 31st October 2007.
Large-Scale Fly-Tipping On the Rise
Councils throughout the UK are reporting record costs to taxpayers incurred for cleaning up incidents of illegal fly-tipping. Many are reporting that ...
Insight Security switch deliveries to Nationwide Courier company Monday 19th October 2009
With Royal Mail deliveries already seriously delayed in some parts of the country resulting from localised industrial action and Insight Security swit...
Price breakthrough; Monday 13th April 2009
Great news for key managers, now everyone can afford a key storage cabinet with digital codelock access. Price breakthrough; Insight Security launch a...
| all news |


"Only me just doesn't work but God and I as a team does."
Too often in our lives we all need to have this saying around to remind us we need God on our team. Trying to go at life in a solo fashion in the long run doesn't work. It needs to be, God and us, in that very order.
Trying to stand up against the headwinds of stress was something I couldn't do on my own. Obviously I tried and all I got were more seizures. God and I were a team and it was up to me to act like one. To stop taking matters into my own hands and do my part to trust God. To stand up against the things in life that were doing me more harm than good.
Only me got me just that, only me, which backed me up into many lonely corners. Dark corners full of frustrations and stress seizures. It wasn't until I learned the hard way that I needed to play by the rules that there was more than just me to think about.
When I realized I needed to live and act like a good team member progress began to be made. It was no longer all about me but what I could do to contribute to the team not drain from it without ever returning anything.
God and I we make a good team and so can you and Him as well. We don't have to be the last person chosen because we are no good at what we do. We can and have been the first one chosen in God 's eyes. Done so out of love, done so out of His grace and mercy.
Good players on a good team.


We estimate South Korea's construction industry to contract by 0.2% in 2018, ahead of official data releases, due to dampened construction activity.
A combination of sluggish economic growth, cooling housing market and a minimum wage hike will outweigh the effects of a slight increase in infrastructure budget. We maintain our negative outlook for the South Korean construction industry to contract by 2.3% in 2019.
In the long term, we expect growth to swing back to positive, with annual growth averaging 1.6% from 2020 to 2028, mainly supported by rail projects.
We estimate growth of South Korea's construction industry for 2018 to contract by -0.2%, down from our previous forecast of 0.5%, reflecting dampened construction activity in the country. With the conclusion of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, construction activity has softened in the months succeeding the event, with the number of domestic construction orders received falling by 13.7% in the first half of 2018. Since then, we note that weak construction activity has persisted, with growth of the construction industry falling on a q-o-q basis, at 2010 prices, for both Q2 and Q3 2018. As President Moon Jae-in pivoted his focus away from infrastructure development related to the Olympics, towards addressing youth unemployment, funds have been channeled to support economic restructuring and supporting local economies.
We believe the negative growth momentum will continue into 2019, with the construction industry expected to contract by 2.3% due to unfavourable government policies weighing on the sector. The government has announced a slight increase in social overhead capital (SOC) budget, directed at developing infrastructure such as railroads and highways. The budget bill for 2019, passed in December 2018, includes an allocation of 19.8 trillion won to SOC spending this year, representing a 4% rise y-o-y. Despite this, we believe the following factors will outweigh the effects of the increased budget.
The government had announced in 2018 that a minimum wage hike would be implemented as part of an income-led growth policy. A minimum wage hike of 10.9%, effective 1st Jan 2019, would increase labour costs for construction companies, negatively impacting their bottom-line, on the back of a sluggish growth environment. We are likely to see reduced construction activity as a result of increasing costs, as companies scale back on less profitable projects with lower margins.
Furthermore, our Country Risk team currently holds a negative outlook for the South Korean economy, with GDP growth forecast to slow to 2.3% in 2019 (see 'South Korea Growth To Underperform North Asian Peers', January 04, 2019). We expect the effects of an overall slowdown in the economy to trickle down to the construction sector, which has already experienced a post-Olympic slowdown in activity and investment.
Property cooling measures introduced in Q4 2018 will further dampen construction activity in the country. In particular, we expect the residential construction sector to shrink by 2.9% in 2019. The government has designated more anti-speculative zones in Seoul and have reduced the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio in these areas, to curb property speculation. We expect demand for investment properties to take a hit following the introduction of these measures, and this would translate to muted residential construction activity in 2019.
In the long term, South Korea's construction industry will emerge back into positive growth territory. We forecast real growth rate of the sector to average 1.6% annually from 2020 to 2028, mainly supported by a number of rail projects in the pipeline. According to our Key Projects Database, rail projects account for 30% of the total value of construction projects that are currently in the pre-construction phase. Construction of the Great Train Express (GTX) High-Speed Rail Regional Network Line A from Unjeong to Dongtan, has commenced in January 2019 and is expected to begin operations in 2023. Line B from Songdo to Cheongnyangni and Line C from Uijeongbu to Geumjeong are currently under planning and the entire network is expected to be completed in 2023. Other major rail projects include the extension of existing lines and the construction of new lines for the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system.


Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness or injury. This includes routines that must be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. This workshop helps meet the needs of the safe quality food (SQF) audit.
2) presence of unauthorized or unsafe chemicals (including non-labeled allergens) that get into food from raw materials, packaging, process wate, or from or chemicals found in the food plant.
3) hard objects, such as bone, glass or metal, in the finished food that can cause chocking or internal injuries.
Regulatory agencies: In the United States, the regulation of food safety rests with federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is part of the Department of Agriculture. All interstate shipments of finished food or ingredients used in food are regulated at the federal level. The majority of food types are regulated by the U.S. FDA. Meat, poultry and shell eggs are the regulatory responsibility of the U.S.D.A. The most common requirements for ensuring safe and wholesome food are in the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 21:110, generally known as "GMPs" or more specifically as "Current Good Manufacturing Practice In Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food". Employees who work with food or handle food as part of their jobs are required to receive training in the causes and prevention of food safety hazards.
The changes in the SQF Code also bring greater focus on the need to understand and implement specific GMP programs for a company to receive certification. This class meets all requirements of the U.S. FDA, the U.S.D.A, and the SQF Institute for individuals whose job can impact safety of the food they handle.
This one day workshop includes all materials, class workbook, exercises, quiz and attendance certificate. The class content meets all requirements of the Food Safety and Modernization Act, FDA, customer requirements, and the Global Food Safety Initative (GFSI) standards. It is also a prerequisite for continued training in developing and implementation of HACCP plans.
Click here for information on dates, fee, and class location.
Call 619-517-7287 if you have questions, email us at alisa@sqfguy.com for a quote to offer this class on-site.


The film festival was filled with lots of West African natives mostly from Ghana and Nigeria. It took place in the late evening around 6:30 PM on October 24 at The Shrine of the Black Madonna, a community center in 3rd ward. The setting featured lots of culture, food, art, and great people coming together to watch a documentary and discuss the making, creation, and history of West African garments.


Jacks Plastic Full Paco Pad lets you bring the comfort of a soft bed with you anywhere, even into the middle of nowhere. Paco Pads are not just a sleeping pad, they can double as a durable padded seat on the raft or a mat for some riverside impromptu yoga!
Self-inflating, all you have to do is Open the side air valve and unroll.
Two roll up straps for easy stowing and secure grommets for attachment to the boat.
We bought this for our grandson for Christmas. His request. He used one all last summer working outdoors in Idaho and absolutely loved it. He was ecstatic to find it under the tree.
Grandma of the year award! Thanks for the review, glad your Grandson is enjoying it!
Overall great sleeping pad that is durable and comfy. I dislike that it does not pack very tight, so is best for car camping.


A fireplace blanket is used to regulate fires that will not be simply extinguished. Sustaining a blanket for emergency hearth conditions in an workplace might presumably save an organization 1000's of kilos in workplace tools substitute – and even somebody's life. It's extremely beneficial to maintain a blanket close to electrical tools inside an workplace setting. Many fires are began by shortages within the electrical system or from defective electrical wiring. The blankets are mostly utilised for extinguishing electrical fires. hearth cannot be extinguished with water.
These blankets are additionally used to regulate oil and grease fires. They're generally present in garages, the place oil and gasoline spills could happen. A fireplace blanket is crucial in slicing off a fireplace's oxygen provide. This may stop the hearth from spreading to different areas inside a construction. A blanket consists of supplies which might be non-flammable. Typically, the preliminary response of a fireplace sufferer is to try to extinguish the hearth with water. Nevertheless, sure fires could require using a fireplace extinguisher or blanket. The blankets are simply saved and don't require upkeep Heavy Blanket with Glass Beads Fill B07KQZN4LS.
Manufactures are working to extend the efficiency of the blankets. The brand new blankets don't encompass wool. They won't burn or scorch when coming involved with hearth or warmth. There could also be asbestos associated supplies discovered on beforehand manufactured blankets. You will need to dispose of those blankets instantly upon use.
The newly manufactured blankets encompass artificial fibreglass and fibres. These supplies stop the blanket from burning or melting. In addition they embrace an anti-sticking agent to guard pores and skin and clothes. These blankets are additionally used for those who are available in direct contact with a fireplace. The blankets could also be used to wrap across the particular person to lower pores and skin burns. Let the blanket cool for 30 minutes after use. Use gloves which might be hearth resistant to guard the arms from burns. If a person doesn't have time to acquire gloves, it is suggested to wrap the arms with a nook of the blanket.


(Bloomberg)-In what merger-arbitrage experts might call a 'take-under', Nasdaq Inc. is paying less than half the price for what ISE traded for in its last price setting after it agreed to buy Deutsche Boerse AG's International Securities Exchange for $1.1 billion, catapulting it to the top of the U.S. options market.The transaction could also help Deutsche Boerse fund another acquisition. The Frankfurt-based company is in merger talks with London Stock Exchange Group Plc. Deutsche Boerse has been trying to sell ISE, which it bought for $2.8 billion in 2007, since at least 2014.
ISE runs three options markets, and so does Nasdaq. Together, those six exchanges handled 38 percent of U.S. volume in February, which exceeds the current leader CBOE Holdings Inc.'s 27 percent, according to data compiled by Options Clearing Corp. However, CBOE arguably retains the jewels of options trading: exclusive rights to contracts on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the VIX, a CBOE product that tracks investor fear.
period of time."Nasdaq sees the deal closing in the second half of the year and plans to fund the transaction with debt and cash, according to a statement Wednesday. This is the New York-based company's fourth acquisition in recent months, following deals for an investor-relations business in Canada, the Chi-X Canada stock market and SecondMarket, a platform for trading shares of private companies.
Deutsche Boerse is keeping two parts of ISE: its ownership interests in Bats Global Markets Inc. and Digital Asset Holdings LLC, according to an e-mailed statement. Bats runs exchanges for stocks, options and currencies. Digital Asset Holdings is trying to use blockchain, the software underpinnings of bitcoin, to dramatically speed up the processing of financial transactions.
A stake in a key options-market utility will shift over to Nasdaq through the acquisition. Both Nasdaq and ISE own 20 percent of Options Clearing Corp., the clearinghouse for all trades of stock options on U.S. exchanges.
Shareholders of OCC recently began receiving dividend payments, compensation for a regulatory mandate requiring its owners to contribute more capital to support the organization. Bats Global Markets, which handles just over 10 percent of U.S. options trading, has complained it's unfair it doesn't get those dividends because it's not an OCC owner.
Could Russia ETFs Be Making A Comeback?
After a rough year, Russia ETFs have been trying to make a comeback and it seems they may have finally done it. MarketsMuse blog update profiles the changes Russia has made that has helped boost Russia ETFs. This blog update is courtesy of Nasdaq's article, "Russia ETFs Making a Strong Comeback – ETF News And Commentary", with an excerpt below.
2014 has been a catastrophic one for Russian equities thanks to the ban imposed on the nation by the West following its Crimea (erstwhile Ukrainian territory) annexation in the first half. The massive oil price crash in the second half also spurred many investors to abandon the country's equities in apprehension of significant economic losses. As a result, Russian stocks almost halved in price last year .
However, things have changed in 2015. Like many other countries across the globe, Russia also entered into a cycle of rate cut in 2015 having slashed the key rate for the third time so far this year to ward off an impending recession. An upward movement in the local currency and cooling inflation has made this possible, per Bloomberg .
In late April, Moscow reduced the key one-week interest rate to 12.5% from 14% and hinted at further easing if required. Notably, Russia generates about 50% of its revenues from oil and natural gas resources. So, this oil-dependent economy was crushed by the crude carnage last year. The Russian currency, the ruble, lost about 50% against the greenback in the second half of 2014 and stoked inflation.
To keep reading about Russia ETFs comeback, click here.
MarketMuse update is courtesy of MarketWatch.
Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS), multi-manager asset management business, announced that they have reached an agreement with ETF Issuer Solutions (ETFis) , a comprehensive platform for listing, operating, and distributing exchange traded funds. Virtus Investment Partners will acquire the majority interest from the deal. The transaction will provide Virtus with manufacturing capabilities for both active and passive ETFs, adding to its broad product line-up.
ETFis, founded in 2012, recently introduced the industry's first actively managed ETF investing exclusively in master limited partnerships, the InfraCap MLP ETF AMZA, +0.14% 1. It currently manages two other ETFs and has seven additional ETFs in registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All of the company's ETFs are managed by external subadvisers.
ETFis will become a Virtus affiliate and continue to operate as a multi-manager ETF platform, providing investors access to differentiated investment capabilities from select subadvisers. The company is led by its co-founders, Matthew B. Brown, who manages operations and technology capabilities, and William J. Smalley, head of product strategy and management.
The Newfleet Multi-Sector Unconstrained Bond ETF2 will be the first new offering managed by a Virtus affiliate added to the ETFis platform. The fund will leverage the Newfleet Asset Management team's broad experience in multi-sector fixed-income investing in a strategy that will have the flexibility to capitalize on opportunities across all sectors of the bond markets, including evolving, specialized, and out-of-favor sectors, as it seeks to deliver relatively high income and an attractive total return. A registration statement for the fund has been filed with the SEC.
The transaction is expected to close in March. Terms were not disclosed. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as legal advisor to Virtus. Haynes & Boone LLP acted as legal advisor to ETFis.
This press release contains statements that are, or may be considered to be, forward-looking statements. All statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs or expectations, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as "expect," "estimate," "plan," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "will," "should," "could," "continue," "project," or similar statements or variations of such terms. Our forward-looking statements are based on a series of expectations, assumptions and projections about our company, are not guarantees of future results or performance, and involve substantial risks and uncertainty as described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available on our website at www.virtus.com under "Investor Relations." All of our forward-looking statements are as of the date of this release only. The company can give no assurance that such expectations or forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially. You are urged to carefully consider all such factors.
For the entire article from MarketWatch, click here.
MarketMuse update courtesy of Nasdaq's Len Zacks.
2015 has started out week for the US equity market but Direxion has a plan to change that.
After delivering handsome returns last year, the U.S. equity markets have started the year on a weak note. Slumping crude oil prices, strong dollar and global growth concerns with Europe fighting deflation, Japan still struggling in a recession and China losing steam, are weighing upon the market sentiment, leading to increased market volatility.
Below, we have highlighted some of the details of the newly filed product.
As per the SEC filing, the fund seeks to track the Value Line Conservative Equity Index. The index consists of roughly 170 U.S. stocks that have been selected using Value Line's proprietary Safety Ranking. The ranking methodology measures the total risk of a stock and its capability to withstand an overall equity market downturn relative to the other stocks in the Value Line universe which consists of roughly 4,000 stocks.
The total risk or volatility of each stock is measured through its Price Stability Score and Financial Strength rating. The Price Stability score for a stock is based on a ranking of the standard deviation of weekly percentage changes in the price of the stock over the past five years.
For the Financial Strength rating, a number of balance sheet and income statement factors like the company's long-term debt to total capital ratio, short-term debt and amount of cash on hand are reviewed to assign a ranking.
Sector-wise, consumer staples and health care form a large part of the index.
The product could be an interesting choice for investors seeking to avoid market volatility but remain invested in stocks. Low volatility products have proven beneficial for investors given their superior risk adjusted returns.
These funds have gained immense popularity in the past few months given increased market volatility on the back of global growth concerns, slumping crude prices and worries related to the timing of interest rate hike in the U.S.
For the complete article on Nasdaq's site, click here.
MarketMuse update courtesy of extracts from Tom Lydon's 31 December ETF Trends story.
The Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, famed for suing Mark Zuckerburg, claiming he stole Facebook from their own social networking site ConncetU, have started another new venture. In April 2013, they claimed that they owned of 1% of all Bitcoins in existence. The Winklevoss twins now prepare to sell their Bitcoin shares on the Nasdaq.
On Wednesday, the Bitcoin Trust filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell 20.1 million shares on the Nasdaq exchange, reports Ciara Linnane for MarketWatch. The filing did not include a launch date or expense ratio, indicating the Bitcoin Trust is not close to coming to market.
"The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of Bitcoins, as measured by Winkdex, less the expenses of the Trust's operations," according to the SEC filing.
The trust's sponsor is Math-Based Asset Services LLC, which was formed in mid-2013. The company will run the new benchmark, tracking bitcoin prices based on "qualified bitcoin exchange transaction data… over a trailing two-hour period," according to the SEC filing.
Bitcoin is one of the more popular digital currencies available. The cryptocurrency can be stored and traded electronically. The currency is stored in a digital wallet and is traded through a downloadable software or through a third party provider. The main thing traders should understand is that the Bitcoin is itself is considered a form of currency and not just an online service to transfer U.S. dollars.
Many users utilize the currency because the bitcoin is decentralized – there is no central bank issuing or monitoring the currency. Every transaction is validated by a Bitcoin miner – miners are entities within the Bitcoin network that validate the transaction by solving a mathematical proof. This system prevents double counting of Bitcoins and keeps a record of all transactions.
Bitcoin prices have gained widespread attention when the value of the currency skyrocketed above $1,000. However, the cryptocurrency has stumbled in 2014, declining 58.7% year-to-date to about $315.
For Lydon's original article from ETF Trends, click here.
After yesterday's post regarding 2014's Best and Worst ETFs, NASDAQ has release a list of the 5 best ETFs to buy for 2015. Below are excerpts from the article.
With the clock about to roll past 2014 and into the New Year, it's time for investors to be looking ahead with regards to their portfolios. That can be a daunting task, however, as it's difficult to predict exactly what will happen over the progression of a year.
ETFs are intraday tradable baskets of stocks or other assets that make playing various global trends — both short and long-term — easy. And as some trends are already beginning to emerge, we can use them to tweak our portfolios accordingly to maximize profits.
With regards to the United States, all signs point to sunny with a slight chance of recession.
For the most part, things are going pretty good. Job growth seems to be picking up, while lower gas prices have consumers dancing in the streets. The unfortunate thing is that falling oil prices have the potential to cripple one of the main drivers of the recent U.S. growth.
Add in the fact that the Fed's loose monetary policy has pushed investors into riskier assets in order to find returns/yield and you have a recipe for increased volatility.
Which is why the iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility ETF (USMV) maybe a good bet.
USMV uses screens to kick out high-volatility stocks and capture the upside of the market. That also limits the downside as well as the "bounciness" associated with market movements. Currently, the $34 billion ETF holds 159 different stocks, including Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT).
USMV's underlying index has done a good job of fighting volatility and downside risk. Back in 2008, the broader MSCI USA index was down 37% while USMV was only down 26%.
While the chance of recession is small, it is building. At just 0.15% in expenses, USMV is a cheap way to fight that potential and is a one of the best ETFs to buy for 2015.
Despite the headwinds, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 are sitting at all-time highs. That doesn't make them screaming buys at the current moment. But European equities just might be.
Currently, European stocks can be had for a 40% discount to their American counterparts. That in of itself is tantalizing. However, the real boost may come from various QE programs being enacted on the continent. That should boost asset prices in the near term.
The Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) tracks the FTSE Developed Europe Index and includes both large and mid-cap stocks in Europe. Top country weights include the U.K., Switzerland and France.
All in all, VGK holds 528 different stocks. That makes VGK a prime play on Europe's cheapness and potential growth in 2015.
Add in Vanguard's commitment to running cheap funds — VGK only charges 0.12% in expenses — as well as the ETF's 3.81% dividend yield and you have a great ETF pick for 2015.
For the rest of the list from NASDAQ, click here.
The Nasdaq stock market submitted paperwork to regulators proposing fuller use of intraday net asset values (iNAV) in the pricing of equity ETFs, arguing that the integration of such a real-time pricing mechanism will limit the poor trade executions that dog the world of exchange-traded funds.
While ETF traders and market makers would still be able to use plain-vanilla market orders to transact, the second-biggest U.S. stock exchange said the ETF iNAV pegged orders it is proposing constitute a viable way to capture changes in ETF prices that will truly reflect the fact that iNAV is updated every 15 seconds.
Nasdaq noted that under the prevailing system iNAVs are typically calculated using the last sale prices of the fund's components. But it stressed that iNAVs can vary from the fund's market price and/or can be valued outside of the fund's prevailing bid/ask spread as a result of the supply and demand characteristics of the fund and/or liquidity present in the marketplace.
"The INAV Pegged Order type will be available for all U.S. Component Stock ETFs where there is dynamic INAV data and will offer market participants a greater level of transparency as to fair value, by bringing what has historically been a post-trade analytics tool into the pre-trade environment," Nasdaq said in the filing that was dated Oct. 12.
The exchange said that under its proposal, which is an amendment to Rule 4751, should the iNAV data feed for a particular ETF be compromised or temporarily stopped being disseminated, it would suspend the use of the iNAV pegged order type for that ETF until it was confident the system's integrity had been restored.
Nasdaq said that if the SEC approves its rule change proposal, it could become effective in no sooner than 45 days, though the commission could request extra time to deliberate as to whether the rule should be approved.
The exchange also solicited public comments, data and arguments regarding the proposal.
NASDAQ apparently understands this challenge. As reported by TABB, and in a rule filing submitted to the SEC, the exchange that will soon be home to Facebook proposes to put ETF issuers in the driver's seat by facilitating issuer payments to market-makers in consideration for those traders quoting and trading those pesky, "hard-to-trade" aka "illiquid" ETF products that seem to trade by appointment only.


The Easter celebrations in Jumilla, which have been awarded National Tourist Interest status, date back to the late 16th century.
During Semana Santa onlookers can admire the highly artistic sculpted figures being paraded, some of which date from the 17th century, with highlights including the evening of "Mantillas" (traditional ladies' headdresses) on Maundy Thursday, the parades of "Armaos" (period costumed soldiers) on Easter Sunday morning and the "Tamboradas" (drumming celebrations) on both Saturdays included in the week.
Different brotherhoods relive the Passion, the Death and the Resurrection of Christ making religious processions showing historical sculptures through the streets. Important cultural event.
The popular event of the Descent of the Angel, on April 21st. . A large ball that crosses the plaza through the heights opens to pick up an angel that loosens the air two doves, removes the veil to the Virgin before the admiration of those present and a shower of confetti.
Holy Thursday with the Procession from the church of San Esteban to the Ex Collegiate Church. In this procession the "Sayones" will be sung, a song that tells of the passion and death of Jesus, in which all the people interpreting the song whose origin is located in the s. XVI and is attributed to Lope de Vega. But it is without a doubt the procession of Good Friday the most solemn and emotional, called "Procession of Silence". The "pasos procesionales" leave the Ex Collegiate Church. In our town the silence breaks singing the "Sayones" again.
The popular event of the Descent of the Angel, the Virgin appears covered by a black cloak, as a sign of mourning, on it appears a large ball from which emerges a child dressed in white, like an angel child, descending on the image to remove the veil. At that moment, a kicking off by the child also begins as a sign of happines.
The Cofradía of Santa Vera Cruz is the only penitential brotherhood existing in Calahorra, it is in charge of guarding the 20 images that procession and that still today are carried on shoulders by the narrow and steep streets of Calahorra.
The most significant procession is the Great Procession of the Holy Burial on the afternoon of Good Friday, sixteen images are processed and more than two thousand people participate in it.
It is considered the largest and most impressive in the North of Spain, in addition to being an authentic Catechism of the Passion of the Christ.
It is the procession with the highest number of images of all La Rioja.