The past few days I have been trying to go through photos and sift through things on my computer in an effort to "spring clean" and purge some stuff that is taking up room. I've had this computer for 3 years so this is around the time I start to worry about my gadgets haha.
In my efforts, I stumbled upon lots of photos from yesteryear – of the various iterations of Merriweather Studios! I thought it would be fun to take a look back and reflect on how far, or in some cases not-so-far, I've come!
This "studio" was two desks, a sewing machine, and a cabinet full of fabric. Of course it overflowed and took over the entire living room but, that's the beautiful thing about solo-living. If it didn't bother me, it didn't bother anybody!
Iron on the floor, bad lighting, barely any space to lay things out, no storage. Oh it was a humble start!!
This is where I really grew into myself. If that makes any sense. It took me a year to even get this rolling chair, and I got it from some dude on craigslist for $10. Because I was a frugal little thing. Still am. But It was a very awkward space and eventually I gained the clarity. This is also when I was covered in threads 100% of the time. And STARVING 80% of the time… because all I did, LITERALLY, was work. And I forgot to eat… many many times. Those days are over.
Once this got to be impossibly annoying, I had what Oprah might call an "aha moment" – I only am in my bedroom at night, and I am in my studio all day! Why not make my bedroom a studio and move my bed into the living room!? It's not like anyone is coming over here – because if they did they'd be sitting on something work related. Can't have that.
Oh but things can't stay great forever, can they? Nope, I just had to go an like a boy and he just had to go to RISD and so I moved to Rhode Island.
I don't know if you've ever been to RI but it's a strange little place and I basically hated it there very much!
There was one wonderful thing about living in Providence, and that was my friend Amanda. I swear I would've shriveled up and died a lonely, miserable blob if not for her.
I did have a nice studio space there that was contained to one well lit room, and it even had a small closet! I was moving up in the world in that way! I also had a rainbow-organized hoop display. It was a lovely addition to an otherwise miserable experience. haha… you think I'm joking.
This is the studio I was in when Merriweather Council was featured shop on Etsy, so we have some fond memories. But after RISD graduation, we hightailed it right on back to Boston and back to my one bedroom apartment in the sky.
Which was great, obviously. But now it was not just me and Merriweather, it was me, FIANCE, and merriweather. So, Merriweather Moved back to the living room, but this time it was a bit different.
My dad installed a bigger desk and some cabinets for me and we scrunched our living space into a tiny little nugget and mostly our apartment was Merriweather over here and Bedroom over there and that's about it. It was tight, but it was temporary and we made it work for about 8 months before we moved down to Virginia!
I wasn't able to dig up any decent photos of this Third Generation Boston Apartment Studio – which was on the OTHER side of the living room of the bay windows – and thus, darker – because the lighting was absolutely horrible. My computer was in a closet for real. It worked, but it was not the greatest set up.
Now, everyone knows I have been greatly enjoying my time in VA! I really like it here and we have a very nice apartment and I have a very nice room for my studio! My only issue with this space is that it's lacking the space for a HUGE worktable which is my ultimate life goal. One gigantic work table that can be accessed from all four sides. And then a computer nook. That would be ideal. But this works too!
And of course I love my gallery / collage wall and my couch! I love my couch so much. It's the cutest darn thing there is. Except for my dog.
You can see, presently, I've gotten a bit more organized. Kind of. Oh and I always remember to eat now! It's great.
The set up I had in my studio room in Boston was ideal. and I had great lighting there. The good old days, that's what I call it.
However, Virginia HQ is great because since we have a spare bathroom, I can do all my washing and drying in there which is a lovely, heavenly thing! Husband thinks so too.
I still iron on the floor sometimes, by the way. And my stuff still overflows into the other rooms now and then.
Someday I'll have a whole separate out building just for my draftings… someday. Maybe even a house to live in!
I look forward to another iteration of merriweather HQ, but I like this one for now!


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Q: Dynamically set SSIS connection manager for flat files I have a number of flat files which have one of two formats (soon to be four) and the columns differ slightly.
I have set up 2 different connection managers for the different formats, but I would like to choose the appropriate connection manager for the flat file source at run time.
So far I have a script task which returns the columns and sets a variable depending on which file type it is.  I want to use this variable to set the flat file connection manager at run time.
Is this possible?  If so how?

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EcoFaith Recovery coaching was born originally out of our Eco-Reformation campaign to engage faith communities in their own community projects. Our coaches met monthly with members from those faith communities to mentor them in The Practices during the duration of their project.
Email office@ecofaithrecovery.org if you are interested in your faith community being coached by Solveig, Sarah, or Nathan.


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History, Music, Pop Culture
Taylor Swift's "ME!": An Ode to Narcissus with a Nod to Winnie the Pooh
To call Taylor Swift's newest single an exercise in narcissism is to say that rain is wet, or perhaps that rainbows are colorful. Obvious, maybe, but denied by the second most hyped thing to come out of this week. Swift herself says the song is about "embracing your individuality and really celebrating it, and owning it." (Not, apparently, about the nature of color and light, if full-color rainbows are as rare as Taylor-shaped snowflakes. But, I digress.)
The story of Narcissus is one that everyone knows, or rather, one that everyone hears and goes, oh yeah, that. A beautiful hunter who fell in love with himself and died because it was unrequited, Narcissus's story functions as a warning against vanity and pride. A warning that seems to have very little bearing on the rainbow unicorn sparkle generation. Shameless pride resurfaces in an attack against self-aware loathing, and we fall in love not with our reflections but with our perfectly filtered selfies and tumblr aesthetics.
Yeah, yeah, you say, millennials are the worst, whatever, we've heard it. It's not like vanity isn't as old as humanity itself. But a new brand of vanity is springing up in the wake of widespread postmodern cynicism. As an objection to socially-conditioned systems, cultural self-awareness has spawned a hybrid child of unadulterated honesty and willful ignorance.
Gone are the simple days of Right Said Fred's unabashed I'm too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts. Society instead is saturated with saccharine humblebrags screaming, I'm terrible and you'll like it! with Billy Eichner-like zeal. Swift's new Pinterest collage of a pop song easily becomes the pinnacle of this evolution, with Brendon Urie echoing her sentiments like Narcissus's mountain nymph. (Will he be the next to fall prey to her charms and be immortalized by her spite?)
A moment of silence, as Panic! at the Disco has begun to write tragedies.
From the capital letters and exclamation point to the self-indulgent vomit rainbow of a video, "ME!" bespeaks not confidence and quirkiness, but a self-love that borders on certifiable. There's a reason Narcissus's stories are ones of revenge and spite and—oh.
A celebration of individuality that sounds like every other, Swift's smug new single also can't help but recall that first, innocent celebration of self that sprang from the pockets of the Walt Disney Company into the collective millennial mindset. "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" reveled in its bouncy beat and lyrics entreating you to embrace your uniqueness, so it really should be no surprise that a generation now rallies to this narcissistic message.
But the most wonderful thing about Taylor, you know—is she's the only one.
"ME!" truly is a catchy song. It's fun, it's sweet, it's Swift at her radio-bait best. It's the symphony of a generation. And, as always, Brendon Urie is a gem. So give the song a listen. Stamp your feet, clap your hands, and stare into the abyss until you fall deeply in love with yourself. Nobody's gonna love you like you.
April 26, 2019 January 2, 2020 Brendon Urie, Greek Myth, ME!, Millennials, Music, Narcissus, Panic! at the Disco, Taylor Swift, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh
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Kristen Csuti
Kristen is a professional word nerd, amateur baker, and lover of all things caffeinated. She write puns for a living and novels as a hobby, and she can frequently be found curled up with a blanket and a book or arguing about things that don't matter. Follow her on social media @kristensushi	View all posts by Kristen Csuti

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Essentials Of Medical Electricity For Medical Students And Nurses is good choice for you that looking for nice reading experience. We hope you glad to visit our website. Please read our description and our privacy and policy page.
Finally I get this ebook, thanks for all these Essentials Of Medical Electricity For Medical Students And Nurses can get now!


← What do you call knowledge management?
Social software is big business. Facebook has 1.3 billion monthly active users . LinkedIn has 300 million users. Twitter has 271 million monthly active users. These are huge numbers – which indicate that these are sites that people want to use. To the corporate IT crowd they are present a challenge. Most people do not want to use the finance or HR systems of their employers. They only do so because they have to. So the idea of cashing in on the cred and hype of Facebook et al and implementing systems that people want to use is enticing. At the same time, the ways in which employees and customers use social media is unnerving for organisations. They are seen as a waste of time with people posting pictures of their cats or chatting with the friends. Or they are seen as an active risk with employees giving away trade secrets or customers bad mouthing you. Organisations perceive that they cannot fully control social media and this lack of control is disturbing for managers. But what if you could produce versions of these tools that offered the best of both worlds – tools that people want to use to share and collaborate but that also offer safeguards around control and security?
This is an interesting article Matt. There are two perspectives that I think we need to pay more attention to.
The second is that the pervasiveness of social tools is probably changing people's expectations of and behaviour within traditional enterprise systems. Nearly 20 years ago, I thought tools Ka-Ping Yee's CritLink and Wendy Seltzer's Annotation Engine would lead to meaningful commentary on web texts. I was wrong. The tools were good, but people weren't ready to expose their thoughts publicly (even within closed environments). Now that user-generated content and social tools have become commonplace, perhaps the time is right for the new glossators (http://mg3c.com/2008/07/30/the-new-glossators/).
Good points Mark. I would agree that some forms of social media are more "oral". However because they are written, we don't expect them to be – which causes the issues noted in the Medium article that you link to. I'm still not ready to walk away from written expression (despite colleagues refusing to read books because, well, just because really).
As for people exposing their thoughts, a lot of that depends on the context. The use of enterprise social networks often feels like a performance, like a speech in meeting, not a chat over coffee. I will need to digest the glossator vs commenator distinction.


In 2009, Gwen Jorgensen didn't even know triathlon was in the Olympics. Now she is one of the best triathletes in the world; Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time World Champion and holds a record 17 career ITU World Triathlon Series gold medals. Here's how the driven and talented athlete made her way to Olympic Gold Medalist.
Well, we are three weeks into the NEW YEAR…Have you kept your resolutions? Did you make any? Do you need any?
These are all timely questions and good questions for triathletes. As an athlete (and coach) I like to set some challenges for the NEW YEAR. They vary from year to year depending on my mood (frankly, last year, I was not into RACING). They can be a goal race, a destination race, a "race" with friends (I am hoping for that this year…so be on the look out for some pressure from me), a far fetched goal, an idea, a plan to do something different or whacky by some individual's standards.
2019 brought me to the "Run all streets in my town challenge"…and so far, I love it. I have lived in my town for 19 years (almost) and I can tell you that in that amount of time, I have run Park Avenue enough times to know every crack (even when the crack started and why it started), every house for sale on the street, every neighbors routines/schedules, etc…However, I have never run some of the .05 mile dead end streets that are 2 minutes away from my house!
So for now, this challenge is refreshing:) What challenge will you try? (Please, not the Bird Box challenge while driving!). Make it interesting and may it refresh/renew your interest!
As I finished my last ride (in the RAIN again) exploring town on my crossbike…time to reflect. Time is a precious commodity that we cannot buy. Don't take it for granted, cherish it and those you share it with♥ !!!
I look forward to 2019 and hope to spend more time with/see more of the people that make me laugh, motivate/inspire me, listen to me and make me who I am!


A public lecture delivered by Dr Nimer Sultany (School of Law, SOAS) at the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, King's College London on 30 January 2018. What is the effect of revolutions on legal systems? What role do constitutions play in legitimating regimes? How do constitutions and revolutions converge or clash? This talk address these and other constitutional questions about the Arab Uprisings by drawing on the findings in the speaker's recently published book. The book, Law and Revolution: Legitimacy and Constitutionalism After the Arab Spring (Oxford University Press, 2017), urges a rethinking of major categories in political, legal, and constitutional theory in light of the Arab Spring. It offers a novel and comprehensive examination of the constitutional order that preceded and followed the Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Algeria, Oman, and Bahrain. It also provides the first thorough discussion of the trials of former regime officials in Egypt and Tunisia. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, including an in-depth analysis of recent court rulings in several Arab countries, the book illustrates the contradictory roles of law and constitutions. It also contrasts the Arab Spring with other revolutionary situations and demonstrates how the Arab Spring provides a laboratory for examining scholarly ideas about revolutions, legitimacy, legality, continuity, popular sovereignty, and constituent power. The book is a novel and comprehensive examination of the constitutional order that preceded and followed the Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Algeria, Oman and Bahrain: http://bit.ly/2AAeSf8 NIMER SULTANY is Senior Lecturer in Public Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He holds a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Harvard Law School, and was the recipient of the British Academy Fellowship. His book "Law and Revolution: Legitimacy and Constitutionalism After the Arab Spring" was published by Oxford University Press. He also published extensively on constitutional theory, Islamic constitutionalism, and Israeli jurisprudence.


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Cannabis Daily
Is Your Vaping Device Leaching Heavy Metals Into Your Lungs?
By Terry Hacienda, The Fresh Toast on Nov 9, 2021
Published in Cannabis Daily
While there hasn't been a significant medical complication tied to the continued use of these metals, the gradual accumulation of these substances are probably not good for you. This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.
Vaping is heralded as the answer to the negative effects of smoking. It has proven to be safer in many different instances, however, in 2019 we did see a short-lived crises where 68 people died and 2,807 were sickened with e-cigarettes and some cannabis-related vaping devices.
Dubbed as EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury), there have been many attempts to make it safer, more regulated, and so forth. The major issue with the cases back in 2019 was that potentially Vitamin E acetate was added to dilute cannabis oils. These oils were primarily sold like this in the unregulated market.
Some groups tried to put the blame on legal cannabis, however virtually every case of EVALI came from states that did not have legal cannabis on the books. In other words, the unregulated market.
However, while vaping has been "safer" than smoking in general, there is some evidence to suggest that vaping could have some other unforeseen consequences as well. This according to recently published research titled, "Metals in Cannabis Vaporizer Aerosols: Sources, Possible Mechanisms, and Exposure Profiles".
Essentially, researchers were looking to see if the actual devices could be releasing harmful metals into the smoke and what potential health issues this could have on end-users. Basically, with the devices heating up the elements, they could be releasing heavy metals which is then shot directly into the lungs.
While legal states do test the cannabis oils for impurities such as microbial contamination and heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic – the oil could not be the culprit in this case but the devices themselves.
Users who use e-cigarettes and other nicotine-vaping devices have shown to contain higher levels of heavy metals in their blood than smokers, but when it comes to cannabis vaporizers, there is a significant lack of research. According to a recent article on Forbes:
"…high voltage and temperature settings of standard [vaporizer] devices, dissolved metals or even fine metallic particles from the heating coil or the liquid could have the potential to be inhaled into the consumer's lungs," according to findings from a team of researchers at Medicine Creek Analytics.
The article continued:
"Results indicate that chromium, copper, nickel, as well as smaller amounts of lead, manganese, and tin migrate into the cannabis oil and inhaled vapor phase, resulting in a possible acute intake of an amount of inhaled metals above the regulatory standard of multiple governmental bodies," they added, noting that smoke and vapor from cannabis flower and cannabis concentrate did not produce the same results, indicating that the vape pens' heating devices were to blame. Conducting Testing In order to see if cannabis devices produced the same results, the researchers used 13-different brands to test along with cartridges. Roughly half of them were 510-thread, which is the most common vape pen on the market.
They then proceeded to plug the devices into the wall and use a smoke machine that mimics human breathing and inhaled an approximate 50 puffs worth of aerosol which was then analyzed by a plasma mass spectrometer.
Researchers discovered at least three metals that are known to be in the heating elements and coils. These metals are chromium, nickel, and copper. These appeared in the aerosols after the fifty puffs. Over time, there was a greater instance of "leaching" as heat and frequency kept on degrading the metals. According to that Forbes article:
"The results suggest that the cartridge devices themselves are leaching metals and potentially at higher rates when the components are heated," the researchers wrote, who noted that the cartridges "generally did not emit metals from the big four" of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead.
Interestingly though, when terpenes were added to the oils, there was a significant decrease in leaching as a result. Researchers still didn't fully understand how this worked, but it was an interesting find nonetheless. What To Do? At this point in time, you need to make an educated choice. Smoking has inherent risks involved, and while vaporization has been touted as the safe alternative, it is important to note that it isn't risk free.
Furthermore, it seems that when you're vaporizing consistently, all day long — like with nicotine vaporizers — you are at greater risk of consuming these heavy metals. While there hasn't been a significant medical complication tied to the continued use of these metals, the gradual accumulation of these substances are probably not good for you. We've reached a moment in time where you'd have to weigh out the risk of smoking against the risk of vaping heavy metals. There Are Other Ways To Consume Of course, there are more than one way to consume cannabis, whether you're drinking it, using it in a tincture or eating it. Sure, these different ways produce different effects, but I think it's absolutely vital that people are well-informed when it comes to finding the healthiest method possible.
Furthermore, I think that vaporizing companies will need to begin to look at these issues for future designs. It's a good thing that there are agencies testing and making sure that these products are safe for public consumption. Otherwise, we could see another repeat of the 2019 EVALI issue.
The Fresh Toast is a daily lifestyle platform with a side of cannabis. For more information, visit www.thefreshtoast.com.
The Fresh Toast
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Wine Vs. Cannabis: How Social Inequity Differs In Both Industries
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The high barrier of entry into the wine world is one of the biggest reasons for the lack of diversity within the industry. Being a budtender or managing a dispensary doesn't require as much training.
As the cannabis...Read More
CBD Water: Big Market Opportunity Or Just The Next Crazy CBD-Infused Product?
The product has several utilities, but the downsides surrounding it are guaranteed to put people off.
This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.
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Home › Latest News › World News › Jailed former HDP leader's letter to spouse confiscated by prison
Jailed former HDP leader's letter to spouse confiscated by prison
Latest News Local News Politics World News	Posted on 6 Monaten ago —by Merih 100
Başak Demirtaş, the wife of former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş, who is currently imprisoned on charges of terrorism, has revealed that the latest letter her husband wanted to have sent to her was confiscated by the prison administration, who deemed it discriminatory and insulting to the public, the T24 news website reported on Friday.
The incident was reported by Başak Demirtaş herself, who tweeted: "I just came back from visiting Selahattin. He was fine. He says hi to all. The last letter he wrote me was confiscated as it was found to be discriminatory and insulting to the public. I will file a lawsuit and certainly get it back."
Demirtaş was arrested in November 2016 on terrorism charges. A court found him guilty in September of disseminating terrorist propaganda and sentenced him to four years, eight months in prison.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on Nov. 20 that Demirtaş's pre-trial detention had gone on longer than could be justified and ordered his release. Turkish courts refused to implement the ECtHR's ruling, and a regional appeals court in Turkey on Dec. 4 upheld Demirtaş's prison sentence.
The Kurdish politician ran from prison as a candidate against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the presidential election in Turkey in June. Although he was unable to conduct an election campaign, he received 8.4 percent of the vote.
Lawyer says he could be victim of assassination attempt by 'deep forces'
Critical Turkish journalist Murat Aksoy released on probation


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The Latest: Official: Parliament majority for Macron's party
PARIS (AP) — The Latest on France's parliamentary elections (all times local):
Official figures show French President Emmanuel Macron's new centrist party has won an absolute majority in the powerful lower house of parliament.
The Interior Ministry said Sunday night that with 513 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly definitively decided, Macron's Republic on the Move! party and its centrist allies had definitively won 303. That's already beyond the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.
The conservative Republicans and their allies are in second place with 124 seats, according to the ministry figures.
The vote hands Macron a clear mandate to push through labor reforms and reshape French politics.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is pleased about the resounding victory by French President Emmanuel Macron's new party in the French parliamentary election.
Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, quoted Merkel on Twitter as congratulating Macron on his "clear parliamentary majority" Sunday. He said she looks forward to continuing "good cooperation for Germany, France, Europe."
Germany and France have the eurozone's two biggest economies and are the traditional motor of European integration.
With 82 percent of the votes counted, Macron's party had 42 percent of the vote, the conservative Republicans 22 percent, the far-right National Front 10 percent and the Socialists only 6 percent.
Polling agency projections suggested that Macron's Republic on the Move! party could take 355 to 365 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, the powerful lower house of parliament.
German government officials are celebrating the clear victory of President Emmanuel Macron's party in France's parliamentary election.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, wrote Sunday on Twitter that "France now has a strong president with a strong majority in parliament." Altmaier added: "Good for Europe and for Germany!"
The German Foreign Ministry quoted Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Twitter as saying that "the road is clear for reforms, in France and in Europe."
The head of France's Socialist party has quit after his party suffered a horrendous defeat in the country's parliamentary election.
Socialist party leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis says that President "Emmanuel Macron's triumph is uncontestable, the defeat of the left is unavoidable, and the defeat of the Socialist party is irrevocable."
He added that the party needs to change its ideas and its organization and that a "collective leadership" is going to replace him.
With 75 percent of the votes counted Sunday night, Macron's party won 42 percent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans with 22 percent. The Socialists, who before Macron ran the government, won only 6 percent of the vote.
Macron left a position in the Socialist government to run an independent presidential campaign.
France's prime minister says French voters have given a clear majority to new French President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist government.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, a center-right politician who joined Macron's movement, said "through their vote, a wide majority of the French have chosen hope over anger."
He called on the new majority of lawmakers who were elected Sunday to help the government implement Macron's political agenda. He said his determination is "total" to work on major reforms in the coming months.
With 75 percent of the votes counted Sunday night, the Interior Ministry says Macron's party has won 42 percent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans in a distant second with 22 percent.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has won her first French parliamentary seat in a vote that was dominated by President Emmanuel Macron's centrists.
Le Pen said she won with about 58 percent of the vote Sunday in Henin-Beaumont in northern France. She said her far-right National Front has won at least 6 seats in the French parliament and is still waiting for other results.
Le Pen said her party's lawmakers will "fight with all necessary means the harmful projects of the government." She said they will especially fight against what she called Macron's pro-European, pro-migrant policies.
With 57 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 percent of the vote.
Macron handily beat Le Pen in France's May 7 presidential election.
France's conservative leader has declared his party the main opposition after losing to new President Emmanuel Macron's movement in the nation's parliamentary vote.
Republicans leader Francois Baroin on Sunday wished Macron "good luck" because he said he wants France to succeed. He said lawmakers in his conservative party are going to have a strong enough bloc in the lower house of parliament to be able to voice their views.
With 57 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 percent of the vote, followed by the Republicans with 23 percent.
Pollsters project that Macron's party and its allies won a clear majority in the National Assembly, the powerful lower house.
Partial official results from France's second-round parliamentary elections show President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party with a clear lead over the country's traditional right-wing and leftist parties.
With 57 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that Macron's Republic on the Move! party had won 41 percent of the vote, followed by the conservative Republicans with 23 percent. The ministry said the far-right National Front was in third place with nearly 10 percent followed by the Socialists with 6.2 percent.
Many candidates in his party joined only after Macron won the presidency in May.
French polling agencies are projecting that President Emmanuel Macron's new centrist party will have a large majority in the powerful lower house of parliament and a clear mandate to overhaul the way France works and does business.
The projections from Sunday's second-round legislative elections suggest that Macron's Republic on the Move! party handily beat the traditional left and right parties that have led the National Assembly for decades.
The pollsters project that Macron's candidates and their allies won as many as 360 seats in the 577-seat chamber. That was less than some had expected after its crushing victory in last week's first-round vote.
Macron wants to use his mandate to strip away some labor protections to encourage hiring and to toughen security.
The turnout in France's parliamentary election is trending low, with just over 35 percent of eligible voters casting ballots by late afternoon.
The turnout rate in Sunday's final round of voting to fill 577 seats in France's powerful lower house, the National Assembly, is crucial to boost opposition parties. President Emmanuel Macron's fledgling Republic on the Move! party is hoping for a steamroller win in this election that would upend years of French political expectations. Pollsters predict that pro-Macron candidates — who only got together after his May 7 presidential win — could take up to 450 seats in parliament.
Three hours before the polls close, the Interior Minister put the turnout rate at just over 35 percent, less than the 41 percent at the same hour in the first round of parliamentary voting a week ago.
French authorities say 17.8 percent of voters have cast ballots so far in the final round of parliamentary elections, down from previous votes, amid concern about low turnout.
The Interior Ministry said the midday participating figures in Sunday's nationwide voting compare to 21.4 percent at midday during the second round of the last parliamentary elections in 2012.
At midday during the first round voting last Sunday, turnout was 19.2 percent. Overall, the first-round vote saw record low voter interest, with less than half of France's 47.5 million voters taking part overall.
Rivals of President Emmanuel Macron's dominant new party are urging more voters to cast ballots this time in hopes of preventing him from having a crushing majority.
French President Emmanuel Macron has voted in parliamentary elections expected to hand his 14-month-old party a big majority.
Curious crowds gathered in the northern seaside town of Le Touquet where Macron cast a ballot Sunday morning in the second round of elections for the 577-seat National Assembly. His centrist Republic on the Move! party is expected to win more than 400 seats.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, a center-right politician who joined Macron's movement, cast his ballot in the port of Le Havre.
Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is voting in the depressed northern town of Henin-Beaumont, where she is running for a parliament seat.
Far-left ex-presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is voting in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, where he is seeking a seat as well.
French voters are casting ballots in the final round of parliamentary elections that could clinch President Emmanuel Macron's hold on power, as his fledgling party overturns politics as usual.
Pollsters say that after routing traditional parties in last week's first-round vote, Macron's Republic on the Move! party could win up to 450 seats Sunday in the 577-seat National Assembly, the powerful lower chamber.
That would allow Macron to move fast with promised legislation, notably on changing labor laws to make hiring and firing easier.
Candidates from the conservative party, The Republicans, are expected to form the largest opposition group, with 70-110 seats, according to pollsters.
Less than half of the 47.5 million-strong electorate turned out last Sunday, a record low that especially punished Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front party.


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Conman guilty of swindling $7.6m faces decades in jail
20th Jun 2019 8:52 AM
A serial fraudster known to dress like James Bond is awaiting sentence after swindling more than $7.6 million from people including girlfriends and good friends.
Hamish Earle McLaren, who also used the names Hamish Watson and Max Tavita, has pleaded guilty to 17 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one count of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime.
The charges carry a maximum jail term of 10 and 15 years respectively. McLaren is due to be sentenced in the NSW District Court on Thursday by Acting Judge Colin Charteris.
The judge, at McLaren's sentence hearing, said he had given his victims "a life sentence" regarding their losses.
The fraudster, in a letter to the judge, said he was truly sorry and "the labels of conman and alike are deserved".
The 49-year-old was arrested in 2017 after his multiple faux investment schemes - including in currency, gold and shares in a "profitable" Papua New Guinea gold mine - came unstuck.
McLaren has no formal financial qualifications and on one occasion also pretended to be a practising barrister.
He fleeced 15 victims over six years, the majority being through a Ponzi or pyramid scheme, including Australian fashion designer Lisa Ho and ex-girlfriend Tracy Hall.
Ms Hall gave $317,000 to McLaren - who provided her with false tax invoices - and has never been paid back, the agreed facts state.
Ms Ho gave McLaren $850,000 in superannuation after he promised a low-risk investment with a high return.
She took him to court after being duped and McLaren was declared bankrupt in 2016 but continued his scam.
Hamish McLaren has no formal financial qualifications and on one occasion also pretended to be a practising barrister.
The facts state he didn't invest their funds, transferred money between his accounts and "spent as he decided".
His brother-in-law, Christopher Rourke, testified at McLaren's sentence hearing: "He would watch a James Bond movie and then dress like James Bond. Same suit, same hair." He said McLaren also owned an Aston Martin and, at another stage, he believed he was leasing two Ferraris.
Crown prosecutor Carl Young said McLaren "was motivated by greed, not need" and his "systematic dishonesty" wasn't related to any mental illness. McLaren has been in custody since his arrest in July 2017.
Tracy Hall gave $317,000 to McLaren — who provided her with false tax invoices — and has never been paid back, the agreed facts state.
Victim Lisa Ho gave McLaren $850,000 in superannuation after he promised a low-risk investment with a high return. Picture: Adam Yip
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court crime editors picks fraud hamish mclaren


Jenny here, as your host for this challenge, and I would like to see Christmas Animals on your super entries please.
Here are the lovely DT creations made by my wonderful friends on Team B.
Challenge ends at 6pm GMT on 6th December.
Here are the Top 3 for Trees Challenge.
You are welcome to take a badge from the sidebar.
Thanks to everyone who joined in our last challenge and well done to the Top 3 chosen by Hazel.
This fortnights challenge is TREES.
Team A have made some wonderful cards and please welcome Jodie to the team.
Challenge ends at 6pm GMT on 22nd November.
The cute owl is swooping right at me and the charm addition is superb.
Fantastic job of layering, beautiful.
Thank you all once again but please come along tomorrow and check out what Team A has in store for you.


After graduation from Cairo University Medical School in 1982. Dr. Dina Badra completed her pediatric residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Focusing on current, cutting edge Western medical practices with natural preventative touches, Dr. Badra provides the best possible medical care to her patients.
Dr. Badra understands firsthand the joys, difficulties and worries of parenting, while incorporating 30+ years of medical pediatric experience. Her constant goal is to provide parents with the knowledge and resources they need to raise healthy children through every developmental phase. Knowing that children have unique health care needs, both physically, and physiologically, Dr. Badra blends her medical knowledge and motherhood to provide compassionate care to her precious patients.
As a resident of the Naples area for 20+ years, Dr. Badra enjoys all that South West Florida has to offer. From the wide variety of restaurants, catching a film or documentary at the Mercado, strolling through the Naples Botanical Garden or just relaxing at the beach with a good mystery novel, she finds her free time away from the practice filled with joy and never ending adventure.
Relying on the internet to resolve medical issues can be dangerous for your children. Your best medical advice can be obtained from your pediatrician.
Your children deserve the best so consult your pediatrician when in need.


On the day I photographed the solar eclipse, I hiked for more than six hours (considering the morning scouting session) and did not return to the car until 11pm. My initial plan was therefore to take a rest day, photographing the desert plants near the visitor center, and in particular the cactus which were starting to bloom in late May.
However, when I stepped in the visitor center in mid-morning, I noticed that high winds were forecast for the following evening. The winds at Guadalupe Mountains National Park are legendary, as Guadalupe Pass acts as a funnel with the prevailing west and southwest winds. Sustained winds in the 30+ miles per hour range and gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour are common. During my previous visit to the park, my tent nearly flew out, as I was not able to drive stakes deep enough into the hard ground of the campsite. I had to load it with rocks. I could not sleep, as the inside of the tent felt like a washing machine. This was at low elevation flats near Pine Springs, so it was out of question to try to hike to mountaintops, where the wind would have surely been worse. Since I missed the summit hike then, in spite of the late hour, my lack of rest, and the less than optimal forecast, I decided to try it immediately instead of risking being stymied by high winds again. I went back to my campsite and hurriedly packed.
The trail started with steep switchbacks on arid terrain without shade, which was brutally hot in the early afternoon. I was grateful for the sunscreen that my tent neighbors had given me.
At higher elevations, the environment changed, as the trail entered conifer forests. The weather changed too. Clouds began to fill the sky, I could feel some waterdrops and I heard distant thunder. Since I hadn't taken my tent, instead of setting my overnight gear at the official backcountry campsite, I found a nearby spot sheltered by an overhanging boulder.
As thunder subsided, I resumed hiking. After 4.5 miles and an elevation gain of 3,000 feet, I reached the Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas ( (8,751 feet, or 2,667 meters) marked by a curious stainless steel monument placed by American Airlines in the 1950s.
As the sun peaked below the clouds half an hour before sunset, illuminating the backside of El Capitan towards the South, I was thankful for my luck. Not only did I dodge a thunderstorm, but instead of being drenched by the rain or waiting in dull light, I got nice conditions for the expansive views which were the main goal of the hike.
The view spanned 360 degrees. Towards the East, the shadow of Guadalupe Peak grew rapidly over the West Texas plains.
I watched the sun set on the other side, then I lingered on the summit for a few more night pictures before heading down in the dark back to my bivy.
After another short night, I got up more than one hour before sunrise in order to hike back up to the summit in time for the first light. Clouds were still lingering, but for a few minutes, a distant sunray was visible.
I took advantage of the cloudy conditions to make close-up images of the sub-alpine flowers.
By the time the sun reappeared, the light was less interesting, so I tried a series of images of myself standing in the landscape. I find that those work better when the human figure is small in the landscape, which necessitates standing a fair distance away from the camera, and triggering the shutter with an intervalometer rather than just the camera self-timer.
Posted on August 9, 2012, 11:00 am, by QT Luong, under New images.


Toowoomba Hospital Foundation CEO Alison Kennedy and Civic Church's Matt Gregg.
TOOWOOMBA'S Neighbourhood Christmas is bringing a little bit of Christmas cheer to those who need it the most this festive season.
The Toowoomba Hospital Foundation, in partnership with Civic Church Toowoomba will host the special lunch for individuals and families who otherwise may not have the opportunity to celebrate the holiday.
This year's Toowoomba's Neighbourhood Christmas will provide a hearty two-course lunch catered by ParisiAnn Patisserie on Christmas Day.
Toowoomba Hospital Foundation CEO Alison Kennedy said the luncheon, now in its third year, was helping to bring people together and give back to the community.
"Christmas is a very special time of the year, but for those who are experiencing hard times celebrating Christmas Day can be difficult," she said.
Christmas at Rowes: Christmas images are projected onto the Rowes building in Russell St.
"It is more than just a Christmas feast, it's about giving those in need the joy that only comes from enjoying the company and conversation of others.
"We're also calling on our local business community to help spread the festive cheer and get involved by sponsoring a table."
Civic Church Toowoomba pastor Matt Gregg said the church was looking forward to bringing the joy of Christmas to the community.
"There is nothing more important than knowing that other people care," he said.
"By sponsoring and supporting the Neighbourhood Christmas, we're hoping that those who come not only experience a great Christmas but also leave knowing they are valued and loved."
Santa Claus will be making a special visit to bring gifts for the kids.
If anyone is interested in attending the event can contact their local community service provider.
Anyone interested in volunteering to assist or for businesses interested in sponsoring a table phone 46166166 or email thf@health.qld.gov.au.


We welcome donations of good quality clothing, footwear, household items such as crockery and towels, and many other useful items - if you have items to donate please give us a call to check that we can use them.
Time is really valuable to us and we have lots of projects and activities that would benefit from a group activity, such as decorating or gardening. Let us know what you are interested in helping with!
You could run a fundraising event of your own to raise money for us. We are happy to support your event - we can let you have our logo to use and may even be able to send a representative to your event.
Having helped out today I have realised what an absolutely amazing job you all do and met some truly lovely people. Thank you for the experience.


The Company's community development commitments focus mainly on water infrastructure, education, health and agriculture for the local communities, and the implementation thereof is rolled out in terms of the Company's Social and Labour Plan.
Since inception, the Company has contributed to the economy of the Northern Cape by sourcing about 31% of the Company's direct annual expenditure from locally (Northern Cape) based companies.
To demonstrate the Company's commitment to uplifting the lives of the local people, more than 70% of the labour force consists of people from the Northern Cape Province.
The Company endeavours to uplift the most vulnerable (young children and the elderly) in the communities around the mine through some of its corporate social investment initiatives.


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Nolina is een geslacht uit de aspergefamilie. De soorten komen voor in Mexico en het zuiden van de Verenigde Staten.

Soorten
 Nolina arenicola
 Nolina atopocarpa
 Nolina azureogladiata
 Nolina beldingi
 Nolina bigelovii
 Nolina brittoniana
 Nolina cespitifera
 Nolina cismontana
 Nolina durangensis
 Nolina erumpens
 Nolina excelsa
 Nolina georgiana
 Nolina greenei
 Nolina hibernica
 Nolina humilis
 Nolina interrata
 Nolina juncea
 Nolina lindheimeriana
 Nolina matapensis
 Nolina micrantha
 Nolina microcarpa
 Nolina nelsonii
 Nolina palmeri
 Nolina parryi
 Nolina parviflora
 Nolina pumila
 Nolina rigida
 Nolina texana

Nolinoideae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Article 370: Can Farooq Abdullah Save His Father Sheikh Abdullah's Political Legacy In J&K?
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah paid tributes to his father Sheikh Abdullah on his birth anniversary in Srinagar and stressed the need to continue the struggle to restore Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sheikh Abdullah with Jawaharlal Nehru (File Photo) | Farooq Abdullah paying tribute to his father at his grave in Srinagar (right)
2021-12-06T12:34:08+05:30 Article 370: Can Farooq Abdullah Save His Father Sheikh Abdullah's Political Legacy In J&K?
Naseer Ganai
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Published: 06 Dec 2021, Updated: 06 Dec 2021 1:38 pm
Hundreds of National Conference workers turned up at Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's highly guarded mausoleum at Hazratabal at the banks of Dal Lake on Sunday. On the sombre occasion, his son Dr Farooq Abdullah appeared both angry and grieved at the same time.
Advising his party workers to offer daily prayer, Abdullah further asked them to prepare to launch a struggle for the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A.
"The Centre repealed farm laws after the sacrifices of 700 farmers. We may also have to offer similar sacrifices to get back the rights that have been snatched from us by the Centre," he said amid cheers.
(NC leader Omar Abdullah praying at the grave of Sheikh Abdullah in Srinagar to mark the latter's birth anniversary)
According to Professor Gul Wani, department of political science, University of Kashmir, the attempt to draw parallels between abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and the farm laws was a deliberate move by the NC leader.
"Dr Farooq Abdullah is trying to draw a parallel between farmers' struggle and the struggle for the restoration of Article 370 deliberately to convey to the Centre that his political fight will be peaceful and within the ambit of Indian constitution," Wani tells Outlook.
Wani further elaborated that the reason for Abdullah's focus on Article 370 is because it symbolized his father and former J&K CM Sheikh Abdullah's and the National Conference's political ideology since the 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord.
"After the abrogation of Article 370, National Conference continues to function as a political force but it has lost its ideological basis," he adds.
National Conference has been saying that unparallel land reforms in J&K, known as "land to the tiller" in common parlance, would have been impossible in Jammu and Kashmir had there been no Article 370. Over the years the National Conference has justified Sheikh's role during the 1947-48 accession of J&K with India with the latter being a secular nation that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have distinct identity under Article 370 and Article 35A. Such an identity, according to the NC, wouldn't have possible in "theocratic Pakistan."
(Farooq Abdullah spreads flowers at the grave of his father Sheikh Abdullah on Sunday at Hazratbal Srinagar on Sheikh's birth anniversary)
Articles 370 and the National Conference
Under Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh had a separate constitution called the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and also Article 35A was prohibiting people from outside from buying property in Jammu and Kashmir and ensuring job reservation for residents. Article 35A would empower the Government of J&K to define a class of persons as constituting "permanent residents" of the erstwhile State. Also, it would allow the government to confer on these persons' special rights and privileges with respect to matters of public employment and acquisition of immovable property in the State.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre amid siege, lockdown and arrests of nearly 8,000 persons, abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, bifurcated and downgraded J&K into two Union Territories, J&K and Ladakh. The government also took three former chief ministers of the state, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti into custody.
"National Conference throughout its history has tried to readjust its programme, its public outreach and above all its political ideology. The most prominent example of it is 1972. That year National Conference decided to participate in the Panchayat elections. It is a different question that nomination papers of its candidates were not accepted. After the 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord they had to readjust its politics due to dynamics of power that include the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971," says Prof Wani.
In 1990 when an armed insurgency broke out and the government imposed presidential rule in the State, it made a serious dent in the politics of the state. "Farooq Abdullah had to leave for London to come back after six years in 1996 when he was promised autonomy or something short of it," he says
In the same year, the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao chose Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to reiterate that the "sky is the limit" as far as autonomy to Kashmir was concerned. But nothing was restored and the autonomy resolution passed in 2000 by the Farooq Abdullah government was rejected by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. The latter stated that the clock cannot be turned back. Indira Gandhi had also said the same words to Sheikh Abdullah's demand for the restoration of autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1970s.
"Now abrogation of Article 370 is a serious situation for political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, more so for National Conference. In Sheikh Abdullah's entire ideological project, even the political project of his party, Article 370 was the only link even though it was in the weakest form. Now, it has been abrogated. Jammu and Kashmir which was the largest princely state under the British Raj has now been dismembered and bifurcated and turned into Union Territory. There remains nothing," Prof Wani says.
(Sheikh Abdullah with then Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru)
"Sheikh Abdullah had differences with Jawaharlal Nehru or Gandhi but they were his fellow ideological travellers. Now we see a complete breakdown of the Nehruvian project in India and it also took its toll in Kashmir when Article 370 was thrown out lock stock and barrel. Obviously, Farooq Abdullah might be finding himself in an ideological and political vacuum and he must be feeling neither in air, nor his feet on the ground," Prof Wani tells Outlook.
Others say the "Sheikh political project" had lost relevance in 1953 itself. "Sheikh Abdullah was elected Prime Minister with the majority of members voting for him. Some say thousands died when he was arrested on August 9, 1953. Then after long incarceration in 1974, he accepted Indira-Sheikh Accord thus certifying what was done to Jammu and Kashmir in 1953. Otherwise, we would have been fighting for 1953 if not 1947," a political leader tells Outlook on condition on anonymity. "But August 5, 2019, is the complete annihilation of Sheikh Abdullah and NC's political project," he adds.
The J&K-based leader adds that there are two sets of parties now in J&K - those who have accepted the defeat after the abrogation of Article 370, and others who are fighting so that at least something can be retrieved. But observers here have an agreement that August 9, 2019, was the last blow to Sheikh's political ideology with both land and the tiller under threat.
Former vice-chancellor Islamic University of Science and Technology Prof Siddiq Wahid, however, says, "Nothing in history is irrelevant, because everything that has happened is evidence for our present. Sheikh Abdullah is, whether you agree with him or not, a part of the history of Kashmir and of the Jammu and Kashmir State - in its entirety. To try to wish him away is to deny the truth of events in Kashmir and, indeed, in South Asia. It is, in short, to deny history. And that is always disastrous."
Nagaland Firing: Amit Shah To Make Statement In Lok Sabha After 14 Civilian Deaths
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Naseer Ganai National


On Wednesday, May 17, advance screenings of Everything, Everything (which officially hits theaters on Friday, May 19) will take place in major cities across the United States, and VIBE has the hook-up for you. We're giving five (5) lucky VIBE readers in Los Angeles and five (5) lucky VIBE readers in New York City the chance to experience this unique adventure in life and love with a friend!
The NYC screening is going down at the Empire 25 Theater (34 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036) at 7:00 pm EST. As for the Los Angeles screening, winners will see the film at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Theater (4020 Marlton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90008) at 7:00 pm EST.
How can you score a pair of tickets?
Each winner will be selected at random between now and 12 pm EST on Tuesday, May 16. **No purchase necessary. Transportation to and from the screening will not be provided. Seating is based on a first come, first serve basis, so get there early if you win! Good luck!
Nick and Amandla Stenberg sat down with Popsugar for an interview about their new movie Everything, Everything!
"It isn't long until Warner Bros.' #youngadult tearjerker Everything, Everything hits theaters, but that didn't stop them from releasing both a brand new trailer and a poster to get us excited.
I cannot wait to see this movie! I loved the book, the trailer looks amazing and both Nick and Amandla are perfect for the roles!
Everything, Everything opens on May 19, 2017!


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Progressing Reforms Positive For Pakistan's Oil & Gas
Fitch Solutions / Oil & Gas / Middle East / Wed 04 Sep, 2019
The Pakistani government continues to introduce measures aimed at improving the domestic oil and gas sector, focusing on strengthening incentives for hydrocarbon exploration, streamlining regulations and easing rules for foreign investors.
The positive changes in the upstream are also set to be replicated across the downstream and LNG sectors, where Pakistan has grappled for years to shore up lagging investments in infrastructure.
The LNG space also appears ripe for significant investment inflows, as the government's desire to increase LNG imports matches growing investor interest in entering Pakistan's large, under-supplied gas market.
The aforementioned changes would reflect positively on Pakistan, as it competes for oil and gas investments flowing into Asia with its other emerging markets seeking to develop or rejuvenate their oil and gas sectors.
The Pakistani government continues to introduce measures aimed at improving the domestic oil and gas sector, focusing on strengthening incentives for hydrocarbon exploration, streamlining regulations and easing rules for foreign investors. In July 2019, Special Assistant on Petroleum Division Nadeem Babar announced that a series of changes will be made to the country's existing E&P policies in the next three to four months. The changes will target six to seven issues that have discouraged foreign investors to participate in Pakistan oil and gas in the past. The issues include: insufficient price incentives, regulatory issues and procedural hurdles. Although lacking in specifics, the prospect of stronger price incentives is positive for Pakistan, especially as it prepares to launch its long awaited licensing round for new onshore exploration blocks. Islamabad is planning to make up to 35 new new exploration blocks available to investors by the end of 2019, the first since 2013. Pakistan is also seeking to establish two new exploration zones in frontier, higher-risk areas - namely, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan - and is prepared to offer higher wellhead prices and expedited approval processes in order to attract investors.
More Investments Needed To Shore Up Falling Output
Pakistan - Crude Oil & Natural Gas Production
f = Fitch Solutions forecast. Source: EIA, Fitch Solutions
This also supports the outlook for exploration in the offshore. Pakistan's exploration activities are largely confined to its onshore blocks, both due to cost and technological constraints. However, despite frequent reports of successful oil and gas finds, impact on actual production has remained minimal. Indeed, government statistics show that 113 discoveries were made over the past five years, during which Pakistan's oil and gas production only averaged modest annual growth of 1-2%. According to current provisions, gas from the first three successful discoveries in the offshore can be priced at a premium of USD1/mnBTU in the domestic market, although the government is planning to attach more tax incentives and exemptions to further stoke interest. The drilling of Pakistan's first ultra deepwater well, Kekra-1, in May, failed to encounter any hydrocarbon reserves, despite earlier estimates of some 3-8tcf of gas in place. Pakistan is also believed to hold the 3rd largest shale gas resources in Asia of 105tcf, behind China and Australia, although much of it remains unutilised. Given limited capacity of domestic firms, attracting more FDIs will be crucial to navigate the geological, technological, financial challenges associated with developing this higher cost fuel type.
The positive changes in the upstream are also set to be replicated across the downstream and LNG sectors, where Pakistan has struggled for years to shore up lagging investments in infrastructure. The country's existing fleet of refineries are old and in need of upgrades. Poor quality of fuels manufactured at home harms human health and car engines, and is one of the main reasons behind Pakistan's growing dependence on imports. Efforts are being made to reverse this trend. In April 2018, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) announced a 20-year tax holiday and exemption from all duties and taxes for investors that will set up deep conversion oil refineries around the country, either via newbuilds or expansion of existing refineries by a minimum of 100,000b/d capacity. This has attracted interest from the likes of Saudi Aramco, Mubadala Petroleum and Power China to date to the tune of a combined USD18bn. Although still in the nascent stages, all three projects have been put forward as part of broader investment initiatives spanning multiple industries and will likely enjoy significant political backing.
Infrastructure Needed To Accomodate Growing Demand For Fuels, LNG
Pakistan - Net Refined Fuels & LNG Exports
Note: Negative implies imports; f = Fitch Solutions forecast. Source: EIA, Fitch Solutions
The LNG space also appears ripe for significant investment inflows, as the government's desire to increase LNG imports matches growing investor interest in entering Pakistan's large, undersupplied gas market. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) anticipates the domestic gas shortfall to more than double over the next financial year to 3,720mcf/d in FY2019-20, from an estimated 1,447mcf/d in FY2019, as supply fails to keep pace with strong growth in usage across the power, residential, fertiliser, captive power and industrial sectors. Even factoring all possible sources of imports, including LNG and inflow of potential pipeline gas from Central Asia and the Middle East respectively, the domestic gas shortfall is expected to grow to 4,600mcf/d by 2028, according to OGRA's estimates. Next to several other measures to streamline processes and reduce red tape, the government announced in August 2019 the decision to allow five firms - including Shell, ExxonMobil, Mitsubishi, Trafigura and an unnamed French firm - to proceed with their plans for LNG import terminals, without waiting for further government approvals. The firms will be given the flexibility to build, import and distribute LNG to their own customer bases and allocated sites for their projects from relevant port authorities, but without any government off-take guarantees.
Reforms Pose Upside Risks To Pakistan's Risk/Reward Index Scores
Pakistan - Deviation Of Selected Risk & Reward Scores vs Selected Asia Emerging Markets
* Includes India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam. Source: Fitch Solutions
The aforementioned changes would reflect positively on Pakistan, as it competes for oil and gas investments flowing into Asia with its other emerging markets seeking to develop or rejuvenate their oil and gas sectors. Based on scores in our Upstream Risk/Reward Index for Asia, Pakistan's scores for metrics pertaining to fiscal regime (ie,operational risks, bureaucratic environment and state of infrastructure) broadly underperform the scores of its peers. However, should Pakistan's intended reforms successfully pan out as planned, there is sufficient scope for these scores to improve over subsequent quarters.
Despite its poor showing in the fiscal regime metrics, Pakistan still outperforms in terms of its 'licensing environment' and 'industry competitiveness' scores. This is in large part due to the dominance of SOEs and sense of resource nationalism that are pre-eminent in some of its competitors.


Bangkok Bank has become the latest institution to join a trade finance initiative from R3 and TradeIX.
Thailand's largest bank has joined a trade finance program utilizing R3's Corda distributed ledger technology (DLT), sources reported May 24.
R3, a New York-based consortium of over 200 companies, uses technology based on blockchain to allow businesses to develop applications on top of its Corda platform.
Bangkok Bank, which joined the R3 Consortium in August 2016, is now on board to test trade finance improvements via Marco Polo, R3's joint initiative with TradeIX's TIX platform.
First launching in 2017, Marco Polo focuses on removing middleman structures from various aspects of trade finance including risk mitigation.
"We are delighted to be working with R3, TradeIX and several leading banks on the Marco Polo project in which we are applying Distributed Ledger technologies to address the complexities and inefficiencies of Trade Finance," one of the bank's executive vice presidents Ian Guy Gillard said in a press release.
The move is one of several ongoing attempts to beef up trade finance using solutions derived from blockchain technology.
Last week, Cointelegraph reported on a similar scheme currently involving seven of India's largest banks together with IT giant InfoSys.
At the same time, HSBC completed the world's first blockchain trade finance deal.
Bangkok Bank however sees considerable promise in the R3 offering, fellow executive VP Panit Dunnvatanachit describing it as an "innovative" way of responding to client demands.


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Sri Lanka Dialog sets up new unit for digital business
Friday November 28, 2014 09:58
COLOMBO, Nov 28, 2014 (EconomyNext) – Sri Lank's biggest mobile phone firm, Dialog Axiata, has set up a fully-owned subsidiary called Digital Holdings Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (DHL) to handle its new business, a stock exchange filing said.
The company, part of Malaysia's Axiata Group, has said it wants to expand its e-commerce business.
"DHL will function as Dialog Group's investment holding company for new business areas," the statement said.
In December 2012 Dialog bought Anything.lk, an e-commerce site, by acquiring a stake in Digital Commerce Lanka, aiming to consolidate group e-commerce businesses.
Tags : Dialog AxiataDigital Holdings Lanka


The Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive (CDMLA) at VIVO Media Arts Centre houses Western Canada's foremost repository of videotapes by artists and independent producers. Spanning over 40 years of production, its 8000 video titles reflect the rich history of video art in Canada and abroad. The collection also includes related books, periodicals, directories, photographs, audio tapes, Special Collections, extensive equipment archive, Media Artists & Activists (MAAD) documentation, and the records of the Satellite Video Exchange Society (legal name) since our 1973 incorporation. While the primary focus is on Canadian artists, international artists and video centres are well represented.
In January 1973, 160 international alternative video producers came to Vancouver to take part in the Matrix International Video Conference. The idea of a video exchange library was born there and made a reality a few months later with the incorporation of the Satellite Video Exchange Society (SVES). Known publicly as the Video Inn, it opened at 261 Powell Street in Vancouver. 76 videotapes that had been brought to Matrix by the attending delegates made up its original collection.
Over the years the Video Inn would evolve to provide the community with affordable equipment access, production and post-production facilities, public exhibitions and distribution services for artists and is now known as VIVO Media Arts Centre. The Library's contemporary incarnation – the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive – remains the heart of the organization.


Welcome to my new website. I will be posting reviews and fun information about your favourite Asian series and films. I also encourage you to submit your own reviews and opinions about my reviews. I love sharing my passion and hope to make you enthusiastic about viewing this Eastern entertainment.
6 July 2013 in Articles.
whoa! I'm glad I found the site. It's quite new. I'm sure I will visit it often! Article about Nine time travel is avewesome! I've just completed the drama and ending bothers me too.
Hey there Klaudia. Thank you for the compliment! I hope you will continue to enjoy the website ;).
Nine did had a confusing ending, still thinking about it even now, hehe. What do you think the best explanation is?


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Grade moves into retail as Ocado chair
Ocado has appointed Michael Grade as its first non-executive chairman.
The current BBC chairman is set to join the loss-making online retailer in October, after he steps down as chairman of Hemscott, the financial information services firm.
The move marks his first step into the retail arena and has prompted a raft of speculation that the business is readying itself for an imminent flotation on the stock market - which Ocado has denied.
In the past ten years, Grade has been the controller of BBC 1 and the chief executive of Channel 4. Outside of broadcasting Grade chaired the Working Group on the Fear of Crime in 1989, and from 1994 to 1996 was a member of the National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse. From 2002 to 2004 he was the chairman of lottery operator Camelot and is director of Charlton Athletic football club.
Grade, who says he is a regular user of Ocado's services, said that he was looking forward to working with the Ocado team. ?
Food on Home Bargains site
Home Bargains has taken its first step into food retail on the web less than a month after it started to sell non-food online. The TJ Morris-owned discounter said that by offering chocolate or biscuits at reduced prices on the site, such…
Whole Foods Market targets Cheltenham with new store
Whole Foods Market is to open a new store just outside Cheltenham town centre, marking its first foray in England beyond the capital.
World News 16/7/11
France: Carrefour has warned its half-year profits will drop 23% to 760m because of weak sales in its domestic market. The retail giant, due to report first-half figures next month, said sales were down 3.3% in the first six...
Comment & Opinion
Move fast to maintain organic growth
Delivering sustainable organic growth is an ongoing challenge for most businesses
UK food & drink companies urged to address export fall
Overall food and drink exports from the UK were down 4.4% to £12.3bn
Natures Way fined following death of worker at Chichester site
Chichester Crown Court heard that contractor Bradley Watts was lagging pipes in the loft space of the company's Chichester site when he was electrocuted in June


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Avalon Bulgaria
International Conference: Organic Farming and our Future Food System >
New Thracian Gold
Agri-environment programme in Croatian NATURA 2000 sites
Farming for the Future
Former projects and conferences
Prof Hans Herren
Millennium Institute (MI) USA: President and CEO since May 2005. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) Kenya: Chief Executive and Director General, 1994 - 2004. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Nigeria: Director Biological Control Program 1979 -1991; Director Plant Health Management Division 1992 to 1994. Coordinator of the Agriculture chapter of the UNEP Green Economy Report, 2011 and of the UNEP Report on the Ecological Bases of Food Security, 2012. Co-Chair of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), 2003-2009. Member CGIAR Science Council (2005-2010). Member IPES-Food.
Founder / President, Biovision Foundation for Ecological Development, Switzerland, 1998.
Education: University of California, Berkeley, Biological Control Division. Post-Doctoral position in entomology/agronomy 1977 - 1979. Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland 1969 – 1977 (MSc in plant breeding and entomology; PhD in biological control of insect pests).
Awards and Honors: Sir and Lady Rank Prize for Nutrition, 1991; Kilby Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Society through Science, Technology, Innovation, Invention, and Education, 1995. World Food Prize, 1995, in recognition for having advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of the world's food supply; Brandenberger Prize 2002; Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2003 for outstanding contributions to the field of environmental health; One World Award 2010; Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) 2013; Foreign Associate US National Academy of Sciences, 1999; Member of the Third World Academy of Sciences, 2005; Honorary Doctor of Science Kenyatta University, Kenya, 2003; Honorary Professor, Hubei University, Wuhan, PRC, 2004.


text:
package com.mesosphere.sdk.offer.evaluate.placement;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
import com.mesosphere.sdk.offer.evaluate.EvaluationOutcome;
import com.mesosphere.sdk.specification.PodInstance;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.EqualsBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
import org.apache.mesos.Protos.Offer;
import org.apache.mesos.Protos.TaskInfo;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

/**
 * Wrapper for one or more another rules which returns the AND/intersection of those rules.
 */
public class AndRule implements PlacementRule {

    private final Collection<PlacementRule> rules;

    @JsonCreator
    public AndRule(@JsonProperty("rules") Collection<PlacementRule> rules) {
        this.rules = rules;
    }

    public AndRule(PlacementRule... rules) {
        this(Arrays.asList(rules));
    }

    @Override
    public EvaluationOutcome filter(Offer offer, PodInstance podInstance, Collection<TaskInfo> tasks) {
        if (rules.isEmpty()) {
            return EvaluationOutcome.fail(this, "No rules to AND together is treated as 'always fail'").build();
        }

        int passingCount = 0;
        Collection<EvaluationOutcome> children = new ArrayList<>();
        for (PlacementRule rule : rules) {
            EvaluationOutcome child = rule.filter(offer, podInstance, tasks);
            if (child.isPassing()) {
                passingCount++;
            }
            children.add(child);
        }

        if (passingCount == rules.size()) {
            return EvaluationOutcome.pass(
                    this,
                    "%d of %d rules are passing:", passingCount, rules.size())
                    .addAllChildren(children)
                    .build();
        } else {
            return EvaluationOutcome.fail(
                    this,
                    "%d of %d rules are passing:", passingCount, rules.size())
                    .addAllChildren(children)
                    .build();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public Collection<PlacementField> getPlacementFields() {
        return rules.stream()
                .flatMap(rule -> rule.getPlacementFields().stream())
                .collect(Collectors.toList());
    }

    @JsonProperty("rules")
    private Collection<PlacementRule> getRules() {
        return rules;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return String.format("AndRule{rules=%s}", rules);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean equals(Object o) {
        return EqualsBuilder.reflectionEquals(this, o);
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        return HashCodeBuilder.reflectionHashCode(this);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
City council is eyeing a new street sweeper
Council sweeps $205,000 street sweeper decision into closed meeting
Staff members say it's cheaper to replace than constantly repair; city doing less sweeping since new restraint initiatives
Aaron Orlando
Update follows original story posted Sept. 10, 4 a.m.
The City of Revelstoke wants to replace its 2005 street sweeper with a 2013 model to the tune of $169,840.
City council was set to discuss the engineering department's recommendation at their Sept. 10 meeting.
The price of the new Falcon Freightliner M2106 with a Johnston RT 655 vacuum unit is actually $204,840 (before taxes), but the city will earn $35,000 for trading in its current 2005 Elgin Crosswind Regenerative Air Sweeper.
A staff report notes the street sweeper has been "budgeted and scheduled for replacement" this year, but doesn't make any further case as to why a new one is needed. Absent are arguments about cost-effectiveness, or repair costs; there is a general reference to the city's purchasing policy.
The city put out a request for proposals for a new street sweeper in August. The recommended model is the second-cheapest of seven bids they received. The bids ranged from (after trade-in) $153,175–$202,708.
City of Revelstoke public works manager Darren Komonoski said that industry standards show that replacing most maintenance equipment such as sweepers "within 8–10 years yield much higher return for trade in or resale."
He said when machines age, the cost of maintenance can exceed the price of the aging machine.
Revelstoke City Council also recently asked for reductions in street sweeping hours as part of their new 'restraint' agenda.
Komonoski said street sweepint has been reduced from two days per week to one. However, that's dependent on storm and weather activity.
"We continue to double shift the sweeper for the months of April till mid-May for spring clean up," Komonoski said, adding more sweeping is needed in October and November to deal with falling leaves and extra fall debris.
Update, posted Sept. 11 at 11:50 p.m.
Council sweeps street sweeper decision into closed meeting
What's the decision on the new street sweeper truck? Unfortunately for the taxpaying public, there's a vacuum of information at this point.
The decision was set to be discussed openly at Revelstoke City Council's Sept. 10 regular meeting, but it was pushed into a closed-doors 'in camera' meeting at the last minute.
Council regularly discusses issues in camera, but the private meetings are usually reserved for sensitive items. The in camera rules are laid out in the B.C. Community Charter.
Usually, it's sensitive things like hiring, discipling and firing staff, legal matters, labour relations, police matters and sensitive personal information.
So, what's top secret about buying a truck?
In response to Times Review questions, city CAO Tim Palmer listed two sections of the Community Charter; they cite the following reasons: "the security and property of the municipality," and "litigation or potential litigation affecting the municipality."
He also said a third section could "possibly" apply. It lists, "negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public."
The decision on whether or not council opted to buy a new street sweeper truck will likely emerge in a few weeks, but until then, we'll have to wait.
B.C. legislature likely silent until spring, says de Jong
Revelstoke candidate for first university pro sled/ATV guide program


Originally called Big Sandy Switch when the Texas and Pacific Railroad connected with the Tyler Tap Line Railroad (narrow gauge) around 1880, the name comes from Big Sandy creek. Settlement had begun a few years earlier and a post office had opened its doors in the mid 1870s.
The community dropped the word switch in the mid 1880s and as Big Sandy, Texas, it reported a population estimated at 500. Big Sandy became a regional cotton market in the mid 1910s and the population had reached 850 by the end of the 1920s. It took a hit with the arrival of the Great Depression, falling under 600 residents by 1933.
The town has been spared natural and man-made disasters and its history is largely uneventful � a claim other towns wish they could make. A post war boom increased the population to over 1,000 citizens and it has remained above that level since 1958, reaching 1,365 for the 2010 Census.


text:
Report: Mossad kills Iranian scientist
UK media claims Israel may have assassinated a uranium plant worker.
By JPost.com Staff
women nuclear plant 298
A scientist involved in Iran's nuclear program died two weeks ago in mysterious circumstances said to be connected with the Mossad, the Sunday Times has reported. According to the report, an American source hinted that the prize-winning scientist, Prof. Ardshir Hassanpour, 44, was assassinated by the Mossad. His death was reported on January 21, six days afterwards. At the time, his death was attributed to gas poisoning. The report first surfaced when announced by US-funded Iranian radio station, Radio Farda. Hassanpour was said to have worked at the Isfahan nuclear technology center, in which uranium hexafluoride gas is produced. Once uranium gas is produced in Isfahan, it is taken to the Uranium Enrichment Plant in Natanz, central Iran. According to the Iranian radio station, the Iranian reports did not say how or where Hassanpour was poisoned, but his death was said to have been announced at a conference on nuclear safety. "A US intelligence company," the Times report read, claimed on Friday that "Hassanpour had been targeted by Mossad and that there was very strong intelligence to suggest that he had been assassinated by the Israelis."


text:
Tag Archives: animated
Christmas in Flåklypa preview
One of the most beloved franchises in Norway is getting its third feature movie this month. Solan and Ludvig – Christmas in Flåklypa is based on the characters of Kjell Aukrust and the film promises to be both familiar and mysterious. Kjell Aukrust (1920 – 2002) was a Norwegian author and illustrator who created numerous…
November 7, 2013 in Fantasy, Norway, Upcoming.
Pinchcliffe finally on BluRay
Norway's most popular film? Avatar? Titanic? Gone with the wind? No, it's in fact an animated puppet movie from 1975, which has been watched by an estimated 120% of Norway's population. On November 11th the film is debuting on BluRay. There is no doubt that Pinchcliffe Grand Prix (original title; Flåklypa Grand Prix) is Norway's…
October 24, 2013 in Fantasy, Upcoming.
Bamse preview
There is no shortage of children's fantasy entertainment in Scandinavia; young kids are very open to fairytales, adventures and all sorts of cuddly creatures. Bamse is one of the most beloved characters in Sweden. Bamse is a character created by Rune Andréasson in 1966. Known by several generations as the friendly and helpful bear who…
August 24, 2013 in Fantasy, Sweden, Upcoming.
Review: Legends of Valhalla – Thor
It's no surprice that Vikings and Norse mythology are the themes of Legends of Valhalla: Thor, the first animated feature film made on Iceland. In a small nation, it is relatively easy to be the first with something. Iceland's first horror film came in 2009, and their first animated feature (this film) was released in…
January 21, 2013 in Fantasy, Iceland, Reviews.
Review: Journey to Saturn
This Danish animated sci-fi adventure includes everything from space dragons and German porn to Saint Peter, in a story about how Danish astronauts save the world, using beer. Journey to Saturn (original title: Rejsen til Saturn) is based on a Danish 1977 sci-fi comic book by Claus Deleuran, and tells the story about how a…
February 4, 2012 in Denmark, Reviews, Science Fiction.
Review: Twigson
Twigson is a fun and friendly family film about a boy who becomes best friend with a twig. Based on the famous children's book, Twigson has become a good fantasy adventure for pre-school children. While Sweden had Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking and Mio my Mio), Norway had Anne-Cath Vestly who since the 1950s…
August 12, 2011 in Fantasy, Norway, Reviews.
Jensen & Jensen preview
The Danish are involved in yet another animated feature (in fact several non-genre animated features are on their way) . Action comedy Jensen & Jensen is set in the future and is about two brothers turns into bounty hunters. We're in the year 2019, a post-financial crisis world where money is everything and debt can get…
November 28, 2010 in Denmark, Science Fiction, Upcoming.
Ronal the Barbarian preview
From Denmark, the land of Beowulf and Hamlet, comes the next hero; Ronal. Ronal the Barbarian is an animated children's fantasy film about the most scrawny barbarian you'll ever see. From directors Thorbjørn Christoffersen and Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen comes Ronal the Barbarian, a 90-minute original theatrical feature scheduled to open September 15, 2011. Producer is…
November 25, 2010 in Denmark, Fantasy, Upcoming.
Review: Gnomes and Trolls – The Secret Chamber
3D animation is dominated by a few American studios, but is not exclusive to Hollywood. In Sweden, a small studio has created 3D animated features based on Nordic legends of gnomes and trolls. USA has space aliens and medical experiments gone wrong. Central Europe has Dracula and Frankenstein. Japan has ghosts. Northern Europe has gnomes…
November 20, 2010 in Fantasy, Reviews, Sweden.
Legends of Valhalla preview
Legends of Valhalla: Thor is an upcoming animated feature aimed at children. Coming to theatres in stereoscopic 3D, it is an action adventure comedy, and not surprisingly for an Icelandic fantasy film, it focuses on Nordic mythology and viking gods. Under the direction of Oskar Jonasson and co-director Toby Genkel, Legends of Valhalla: Thor is…
November 18, 2010 in Fantasy, Iceland, Upcoming.
The horror of a viking son