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Inferno Beyond Florence: Istanbul and its Most Famous Attractions #2
September 15, 2014 Leave a commentInferno's Places
This article is the second part of a brief guide to the places in Istanbul, Turkey, mentioned in Dan Brown's novel Inferno.
1 Topkapi Palace
2 Spice Bazaar Misir Carsisi
3 Galata Tower
4 Taksim Square
5 Ataturk Airport
6 The Bosphorus
7 Guided tours
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans in Istanbul. It was built in 1453 following the capture of Constantinople by Mohammed the Conqueror, who lived there until his death. Moreover, at least 26 of the 36 sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived here.
Topkapı Palace was the administrative, educational, and artistic center of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four hundred years, until Sultan Abdül Mecid I moved the court in 1856 to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city.
It contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint, and was home to as many as 4,000 people.
After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, Topkapı Palace was transformed into a museum on April 3, 1924, the first of the Republic of Turkey. It contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts, and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasures and jewelry.
The palace comprises an immense building, a heterogeneous collection of kiosks, a harem, courtyards, corridors and observation points that came about from the continuous changes and additions introduced by the numerous sultans.
Surrounded by gardens and squares, the palace, with its main gate located on the Hagia Sophia side, has four courtyards with passages between them.
The Topkapı Palace became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
Spice Bazaar Misir Carsisi
Generally known as the Spice Bazaar, the bazaar is officially called Misir Carsisi, that is, the Egyptian Bazaar, although it is actually situated in the heart of Istanbul.
The Spice Bazaar is the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.
The Spice Bazaar's name is of uncertain origin: what is certain is that the spices arriving in Turkey came from Egypt. It was probably built with revenues from the Ottoman eyalet (a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire) of Egypt in 1660.
The Spice Bazaar was built in 1660 in the new mosque complex directly overlooking the Golden Horn, one of the most beautiful views of the city.
The revenues obtained from the rented shops inside the bazaar building were used for the upkeeping of the mosque.
The Spice Bazaar has a total of 85 shops, which sell spices, jewellery, souvenir, dried fruits-nuts, and sweets.
Galata Tower
Galata Tower, called Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) by the Genoese, is a medieval stone tower in the Galata quarter of Istanbul. It is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline of the city. It was built in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople.
Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul when it was built.
The upper section of the tower with the conical cap was slightly modified in several restorations during the Ottoman period, when it was used as an observation tower for stopping fires.
During the Ottoman Empire, the top of the tower and its conical roof were modified as a result of numerous renovations.
During its final restoration in the 1960s, the wooden interior of the tower was replaced by a concrete structure, and was then commercialized and opened to the public.
It actually contains a restaurant and café on its upper floors, which command a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus.
Taksim Square
Located in the Beyoglu distric, the chaotic Taksim Square is one of the largest and busiest squares in Istanbul.
Originally the square was a large tank that collected water for the entire city. Even today you can see the cistern built in 1732 by the sultan Mahmut I. The word Taksim means distribution in Arabic.
Today Taksim Square is the heart of modern Istanbul, with its restaurants, shops, hotels, and central metro station.
The Monument of the Republic, designed by the Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica, is located here, having been inaugurated in 1928.
The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence.
Ataturk Airport
Opened in 1924 and located on the European side of the city, the Ataturk international airport is the main international airport serving Istanbul, and the biggest airport in Turkey in terms of number of passengers.
The name of the airport is in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.
The Bosphorus
The Bosphorus is the strait uniting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and separating parts of Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
The strait is 31 km long; the depth of the Bosporus varies from 13 to 110 m (in midstream).
As part of the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Bosporus has always been of great commercial and strategic importance.
The strategic significance of the strait was one of the factors in the decision of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to found in 330 AD his new capital, Constantinople, which came to be known as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
For the defense of Constantinople (Istanbul), straddling the southern end of the strait, the Byzantine emperors, and later the Ottoman sultans, constructed fortifications along its shores, especially on the European side.
The Bosphorus has 620 waterfront houses built along the strait's European and Asian shorelines during the Ottoman period.
Bosporus literally means "ox ford" and is traditionally connected with the legendary figure of Io, who, in the form of a heifer, crossed the Thracian Bosporus in her wanderings, where she met Prometheus.
Two bridges have been built across the strait: the first, the Bosporus Bridge, was completed in 1973; the second, the Fatih Sultan Mehmed, was completed in 1988 about 5 km north of the first bridge.
Here some guided tours of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and other places in Istambul offered by GetYourGuide.
Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey, by zloris.blogspot.com
The Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, by www.crociereroyalcaribbean.it
Florence Inferno is a blog about the Florentine mysteries, symbols, and places that are mentioned in Dan Brown's latest novel Inferno, and much more about the city. We also offer a guided Inferno walking tour, which follows the footsteps of Robert and Sienna, as well as an an eBook with an audio version.
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Secondary Transactions – Issues and Challenges
By Howard Lee and Rob Ackerman
The potential slowdown in venture funding for private companies in all stages of development will lead to uncertainty for all stakeholders – founders, employees, and investors. The notion of providing any partial liquidity for any of the "life events" reasons described in the previous blog post may be impractical for some potential buyers, such as the existing investors or VCs. These traditional primary investors cannot always meet the needs or demands for internal liquidity because their capital may be outside of their deployment cycles, or that their capital is already earmarked as "dry powder" for future rounds of funding. In addition, some primary investors may be reluctant to internally price shares in an existing investment.
There remains some hesitation among startup executives to pursue secondary transactions in more mature, pre-IPO companies, as a result of the challenges and difficulties that Facebook and Twitter encountered in the run-up to its IPO. In 2012, the pre-IPO rounds of funding for these two companies highlighted the strong demand in secondary transactions and the importance of a controlled transaction environment. The resulting large swings in pricing in Facebook shares prior to its IPO illustrated the negative impact of an uncontrolled and unregulated secondary market on the public offering process.
Another important consideration is the impact of any secondary transaction on the company's 409A valuation, which is used to determine the fair market value (FMV) of a company's common stock. Generally, the impact is minimal if it is not a related party transaction, where information is potentially limited or restricted to the buyer or investor. Later stage, more mature companies that are closer to an IPO, will have common share pricing that will ordinarily converge to the preferred price, potentially lessening the significance of any 409A valuation increase. The relatively smaller transaction size compared to a primary round combined with a single counterparty may also result in a minor impact, if any, on the 409A valuation. As in the all sales of securities, the seller must be made aware of the tax implications.
The number and types of shareholders in a company are critical dimensions to the corporate structure of a company. This capitalization table management becomes even more important when there are secondary transactions contemplated by the company. The management team and the board of the company both desire a small and limited number of investors to ease the communications and investor relations burden for the management team. Adding new investors to a startup, who are not a part of the VC ecosystem introduces both complexity and business risk. New potential investors who do not share the same long-term view as the existing VC investors bring different expectations on company development and exit, as well as the potential for trading of the shares on a frequent or short-term basis. This in turn can impact the 409A valuation adversely for the company, potentially driving the 409A valuation higher (and compressing the upside for new employees) and thus making it more difficult to attract quality talent to the company. If a company is considering secondary transactions for its founders, executives, or employees, it is strongly recommended that the new investors or buyers of the common stock be investors who are part of the VC ecosystem or "insiders."
A secondary transaction for a VC-backed startup affects three key stakeholders in a company: the founders and employees, the VC investors and board, and the company itself. The alignment of interests of these key stakeholders is essential for the success of any secondary transaction within the company. For the founders and employees, there is access to partial liquidity of their shares in working with a buyer that is efficient, experienced, and professional. For the VC investors and the board, these secondary transactions, if done properly, minimize distraction for management from the operations of the business and improve executive retention. The company improves its standing with employees by providing an employee benefit through a structured liquidity program that greatly enhances employee retention. The company benefits from bringing aboard a new investor through this secondary transaction who can contribute immediate value, since the new investor is part of the VC ecosystem and ideally has decades of experience in bringing value to management teams as a VC. The company gains a controlled and managed investor base. Finally, all of the key stakeholders, including the new investor, must work to maintain this alignment of interests.
The actual process by which a secondary transaction takes place must also bring the key stakeholders in a coordinated manner. The management team and/or the board help determine the right direct secondary investor. The most important characteristic of direct secondary investor is that they are considered a trusted counterparty. Startups and VC investors cannot tolerate any risk in terms of the capitalization table, the investor base, the 409A valuation and employee retention, or the business operations itself that would result from closing a secondary transaction with investors who are not considered trustworthy. This trustworthiness is developed and cultivated by working closely among the VC investors in the VC ecosystem for a long period of time. These investors should know the VCs and be known by the VCs as long-term investors.
The case of a secondary trading market poses a particularly challenging situation for the company. The potential fluctuation of the stock prices in this type of private market brings the significant risk of demotivating employees. For example, Fidelity marked down several later stage investments in companies such as Cloudera and Dropbox. On the other end of the spectrum, a private market comprised of many third party transactions of a company's shares can impact the 409A valuation in an adverse manner by increasing the 409A valuation and limiting a company's ability to attract new employees. This further reinforces the need for professional and trusted secondary investors to "partner" with the company to address the concerns described above.
What other possible options are available to employees to accomplish a partial liquidity effectively and efficiently? In many ways, the secondary market in the recent past has resembled the "wild west" in terms of regulation and transparency. In 2015, the SEC began investigating groups and individuals acting as broker who were offering derivative transactions to employees of private companies that were in violation of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. The use of derivatives by these groups to allow employees to receive cash in exchange for a future promise to sell their shares was also typically not permitted by companies. These restrictions and unpermitted transactions have led to buyers and sellers to work together and in tandem with the companies to ensure that the transactions pass scrutiny and are executed properly. Most importantly, the companies should work with trusted groups who are known in the VC community and who understand the regulatory environment.
Secondary History and Market Environment Perspectives

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Kitchens Are Monkey Business: Happy Thanksgiving!
It's A Hawthorne Thanksgiving. Comin' Up!
A Night In Argentina At The Saltbox Café.
Mr. Hawthorne Makes Tuna Salad.
Apple Dee Doo Dah! Rosie Makes An Apple Galette.
Rosie Makes A Mean Crab Chowder.


New version with 50% less lolcat!
So many unappealing choices. So little time to communicate that to the unwashed masses. Tell folks without saying a word that you "Do Not Want" whatever they have to offer.
We predict that wearing your Do Not Want shirt will come in handy in everyday situations. Salmonella? Do Not Want. Jury summons? Do Not Want. Screaming baby in the seat next to you on the airplane? Do Not Want. Soda on your keyboard? Do Not Want!
"Do not want" printed in white on this black, 100% cotton shirt. Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low or lay flat to dry. Imported.


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"How have you coped with a difficult academic incident and how do you think this has prepared you for the study of medicine?" Report Response
"What are the ethical issues involved in the growing area of artificial hemoglobin administration in trauma situations?" Report Response
"Rush website, MSAR, reading over my myriad secondary essays." Report Response
"The facilities were nice and everyone stressed that the students were happy to be there." Report Response
"Research and academic medicine are heavily de-emphasized." Report Response
"-" Report Response
"I knew a sufficient amount about this school going into the interview, but knew of no defining characteristics. Following the interview, it's a very solid school in my mind. I'd definitely go here over many schools. Location is amazing, the reputation and quality of education have been consistently rising over the past 10 years, and there are no major negatives." Report Response


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Hirono: Any Future Clinton Investigation Would Be 'Beating a Dead Horse', a 'Witch Hunt'
Aryssa Damron - November 15, 2018 2:37 PM
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) responded to questions about a potential congressional investigation into Hillary Clinton's email controversy by saying the idea was like "beating … a dead horse." She clarified, however, that she was not calling Clinton herself a dead horse.
"The fact that [GOP members of the Senate] continue to want to go after Hillary Clinton says to me they are not paying attention to what's going on in our country," Hirono told CNN's Brianna Keiler. "Dragging in Hillary Clinton says to me they keep beating what I would consider a dead horse. Not to say she is a dead horse."
The "witch hunt for Hillary Clinton" was, according to Hirono, raised by Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, and would continue if Sen. Lindsay Graham (R., S.C.) took over leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa).
When asked if he would investigate Clinton if appointed chairman of the committee, Graham told CNN "totally" and said "the oversight function will be very much front and center."
Hirono said Congress should instead focus on "investigating the things that raise huge issues about voter suppression, counting every vote, and making sure that our democracy is not interfered with by Russians."
This entry was posted in Politics and tagged Clinton Email Scandal, Hillary Clinton, Lindsey Graham, Mazie Hirono. Bookmark the permalink.
Hunter Biden and Other Democrat Criminals Trump Should Preemptively Pardon
Trump Lawyer's 'Drawn and Quartered' Threat Ripped From Neera Tanden Playbook
Joe Biden's Foot Injury Is Great News for Hillary Clinton
A Completely Serious Parody About a Completely Ridiculous 2020
BIGGEST LOSERS: Lincoln-Themed Liberal Super PAC Goes 0-7 in Key Senate Races
Trump's (Alleged) Defeat a Stunning Rebuke to Obama, Hillary
Dem Strategists Scrub Internet of South Carolina Failure
Graham Triumphs in Reelection Bid
Aryssa Damron is a 2018 fall intern at the Washington Free Beacon. She is a graduate student at the University of Kentucky and holds a B.A. in English from Yale University. Prior to working at the Free Beacon, she interned with Simon & Schuster, Regnery Publishing, Conservative Book Club, and the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute.


In general, eating fresh fruit is good for you, but which fruits are the best to eat?
Fruits are considered to be healthy food choices and should be included in everyone's diet, no matter their age. However, some fruits shouldn't be missing from a balanced wholesome diet because of their incredible nutritional properties.
Oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, lemons, limes and kumquats are all an excellent source of vitamin C and for this reason; they can't be missing from a healthy diet.
It increases the absorption of non-haem iron (iron derived from a vegetable source), which is found abundantly in spinach, kale, lentils, garbanzos and dried fruit, etc.
It acts as an antioxidant, by blocking free radicals that can harm your body and cause different diseases such as cardiovascular, neurological and kidney, etc.
Of all of the fruits that are consumed daily, make sure at least one of them is a citrus fruit to make sure you are ingesting sufficient vitamin C daily.
Apples are an excellent source of fiber, which is often called soluble fiber. This soluble fiber makes this fruit an ideal natural remedy for gastritis because if the skin is removed, the stomach can easily digest it without causing any stomach pain or acidity.
On the other hand, apples are able to help to regulate the correct intestinal function and should be consumed even in cases of diarrhea and constipation. When treating diarrhea, apples should be eaten peeled and avoid that they become oxygenized (allowing the flesh to become dark in color from being exposed from the air for a few minutes). To cure constipation, apples should be eaten raw and with the peel.
Purple and blue blueberries are very rich in antioxidants, for this reason they can prevent early onset aging and keep your body young and healthy.
Purple blueberries contain a substance called proanthocyanidins that prevent excess bacteria from forming in the bladder that cause urine infections. For this reason, if you are suffering from recurring cystitis, just add a shot of pure blueberry juice to your daily diet.
Strawberries have many benefits for your health, but one of the most important ones has to do with their ability to regulate blood sugar levels because they contain high levels of polyphenols.
Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of these fruits with individuals who have diabetes. It was successfully demonstrated that a cup of fresh strawberries each day can produce a similar effect as caused when the body receives a dose of the pharmaceutical metformin (insulin sensibility).
Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is very beneficial for your health.
Some of the many virtues of plums are their fiber and their natural source of sugar that stimulates cleansing the intestines, as it acts as an excellent natural laxative. For this reason, fresh or dried plums are recommended in the case of constipation.
Bananas are an excellent source of potassium and magnesium. These are two key minerals that are needed for muscle contraction and relaxing, to prevent muscle spasms while practicing some sort of physical activity.
Bananas also is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan, which is essential for synthesizes the serotonin neurotransmitter. This is often called the happy hormone. Serotonin improves the your mood swings, reduces symptoms of depression and increases the sensation of overall well-being.
These orange colored fruits are extremely high in beta-carotene, a pioneer pigment in vitamin A. This vitamin helps to protect your sight and your skin. It also boosts your immune system and promotes healthy growth.


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Land ownership in Canada is held by governments, Indigenous groups, corporations, and individuals. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area; at 9,093,507 km² or 3,511,085 mi² of land (and more if fresh water is not included) it occupies more than 6% of the Earth's surface. Since Canada uses primarily English-derived common law, the holders of the land actually have land tenure (permission to hold land from the Crown) rather than absolute ownership. The Crown is given permission to hold land by treaty granted by the Indigenous people of Canada.

Crown lands

The majority of all lands in Canada are held by governments as public land and are known as Crown lands. About 89% of Canada's land area (8,886,356 km²) is Crown land, which may either be federal (41%) or provincial (48%); the remaining 11% is privately owned. Most federally administered land is in the Canadian territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon), and is administered on behalf of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada; only 4% of land in the provinces is federally controlled, largely in the form of National Parks, Indian reserves, or Canadian Forces bases. In contrast, provinces hold much of their territory as provincial Crown land, which may be held as Provincial Parks or wilderness.

The largest class of landowners are the provincial governments, who hold all unclaimed land in their jurisdiction. Over 90% of the sprawling boreal forest of Canada is provincial Crown land. Provincial lands account for 60% of the area of the province of Alberta, 94% of the land in British Columbia, 95% of Newfoundland and Labrador, and 48% of New Brunswick.

The largest single landowner in Canada by far, and by extension one of the world's largest, is the Government of Canada. The bulk of the federal government's lands are in the vast northern territories where Crown lands are vested in the federal, rather than territorial, government. In addition the federal government owns national parks, First Nations reserves and national defence installations.

Until the Natural Resources Acts of 1930 the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and to a limited extent British Columbia, did not control Crown lands or subsoil rights within their boundaries, which instead rested with the federal government. This deprived them of the benefits of royalties from mining, oil and gas, or forestry (stumpage) within their boundaries. This was a major source of Western alienation at the time.

History of land distribution
In New France land was settled according to the seigneurial system, which was similar to the type of late feudalism practised in France at the time, and land was divided into long strip lots running back from the riverfront. This land pattern was also used in certain areas of Western Canada by French and Métis settlers.

In contrast, areas of British settlement used square block patterns of land distribution. Those in Eastern Canada contoured around geographical features and consisted of smaller lots. In Western Canada, where the American-influenced Dominion Land Survey was used, geographical features were largely ignored in favour of geometric standardization, with larger lots.

In Canadian law all lands are subject to the Crown, and this has been true since Britain acquired much of Eastern Canada from France by the Treaty of Paris (1763). However, the British and Canadian authorities recognized that indigenous peoples already on the lands had a prior claim, aboriginal title, which was not extinguished by the arrival of the Europeans. This is in direct contrast to the situation in Australia where the continent was declared terra nullius, or vacant land, and was seized from Aboriginal peoples without compensation. In consequence, all of Canada, save a section of southern Quebec exempted by the Royal Proclamation of 1763, is subject to Aboriginal title. Native groups historically negotiated treaties in which they traded tenure to the land for annuities and certain legal exemptions and privileges. Most of Western Canada was secured in this way by the government via the Numbered Treaties of 1871 to 1921, though not all groups signed treaties. In particular, in most of British Columbia Aboriginal title has never been transferred to the Crown. Many native groups, both those that have never signed treaties or those that are dissatisfied with the execution of treaties have made formal Aboriginal land claims against the government.

The English Crown also gave tenure to much of Canada to a private company, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) which from 1670 to 1870 had a legal and economic monopoly on all land in the Rupert's Land territory (identical to the drainage basin of Hudson Bay), and later the Columbia District and the North-Western Territory (now British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) were added to the HBC's lands, making it one of the largest private landowners in world history. In 1868 the Imperial Parliament passed the Rupert's Land Act that saw most of its land ownership transferred to the Dominion of Canada.

After Canada acquired the HBC's land in 1870, the federal government used the land as an economic tool to promote settlement and development. Under the Dominion Lands Act system of 1872, 25,000,000 acres were given to the Canadian Pacific Railway to fund its transcontinental line, other areas were reserved for school boards to be sold to fund education, and the rest was distributed to settlers for agriculture. Settlers paid a $10 fee and agreed to make some improvements within a specified time for , commonly known as a quarter section, of land. This was at a time of extreme land shortage in many agricultural areas of Europe, and aided in the rapid settlement of Western Canada. In areas where ranching was preferred to field agriculture (e.g. southern Alberta), large areas were leased to cattle barons at a nominal rate, allowing the development of an industrial-scale beef export industry centred on the city of Calgary.

At the same time, major land reforms were underway in Prince Edward Island to end the practice of absentee landlordism, which locals felt exploited them. The Government of Canada agreed to provide the Island with an $800,000 fund to purchase the remaining absentee landlord's estates as part of negotiations that brought PEI into Confederation.

Lands given out in the early years of the Dominion Lands Act included rights to the subsoil, including all minerals, oil, or natural gas found below the property. Later grants (after circa 1900) did not include subsoil rights. As a result, in the leading petroleum-producing province of Alberta, 81% of the subsurface mineral rights are owned by the provincial Crown. The remaining 19% are owned by the federal Crown, individuals, or corporations.

Characteristics of modern distribution
Canada may be considered distinct from the few large landed estates and masses of tenant farmers typical of Old World and Latin American countries that have not enacted land reforms, the communal and state ownership typical of Communist countries, or the small-holdings in those parts of Europe and Latin America where the estates were broken up.

Recent trends
In the last century, the trend in Canada has been for a smaller percentage of people to own land, as more urbanization has turned people into renters. Still Canada has one of the world's highest rates of home ownership, which actually increased during the economic boom of the mid 2000s. In 2008, of the 12.4 million households in Canada, more than 8.5 million, over two-thirds (68.4%) owned their home, the highest rate since 1971. Much of the recent increases were in the form of condominiums, however, which are not land ownership in the traditional sense. In 1981, less than 4% of owner households owned condominiums. By 2001, this proportion had more than doubled to 9%, and by 2006, it had reached 10.9%. Again, this reflects the impact of urbanization which has changed land holding patterns substantially.

In rural areas, the trend has been towards further farm consolidation. The number of farms has continually decreased since the end of the pioneering era in Western Canada (as recently as the 1930s in some regions, but more generally 1914), and at the same time, farm sizes have increased.

The other trend in rural Canada is for more urbanites to own summer homes, cottages, cabins, acreages, and hobby farms.  This is especially apparent in areas that are situated within a convenient driving distance of major urban centres.  Because Canada's major urban centres were historically founded on prime agricultural land, the end result is a permanent loss of agricultural land.  This trend is further exacerbated by low-density residential subdivisions being constructed at the margins of cities, as well as the appearance of isolated rural residential "satellite subdivisions" specifically designed for complete car dependency.

See also
 Land tenure
 Landholder
 Patterns of landholding: Feudalism / Smallholding / Commune / Sharecropping

References

Geography of Canada
Property law of Canada
Real estate in Canada
Land tenure

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Original Steam Roller. Classic Design. Made by hand at the Zong factory in Phoenix, AZ.
Since 1993, Zong has been lifting the hearts and minds of thousands of like-minded individuals. The Zong Steam Roller (or ZRoller) has been at the forefront of a smoking revolution. Portable, durable and just plain cool. This 38mm ZRoller will blow you away!
This steam roller is also available in multiple colors and bigger sizes!


A Pack of 6 portable 64KB keyfob mini-programmers for In System Programming of AVR flash microcontrollers plus a PC Interface and software to load the keyfob programmers from the PC. Each programmer comes in a key fob case and has one button operation to eliminate operator errors. Removes the need for a PC on the production line or in the field.
The Starter Kit lets you load the individual Keyfob Mini-Programmers from your PC. A full description is given under Starter Kit.
Each keyfob Mini-programmer is small, portable and battery powered. They can also be reprogrammed again and again. For a full description, see Individual Keyfob Mini-programmer.
A more robust Handheld USB AVR programmer is available, which is ideal for use on the production line. It operates in the same way as the keyfob but has extra features for production use and includes 128Kb memory.


Headwaters Arts presents "Some Like It Hot" juried exhibition July 6 - Aug 14, 2016 in the Headwaters Arts Gallery. "Summer's Eve in Giverny" by Cheryl Bailey is on exhibition and for sale in this show. Headwaters Arts gallery is located in the historic Alton Mill Art Centre where you may also visit artist studios, the mill works room, several boutique shops, and the Bartlett Gallery.


With the simple addition of Stokke Steps Baby Set, the Stokke Steps Chair transforms into a highchair which can be used from about 6 months. Safe and secure, the ergonomically designed Baby Set ensures that your baby is seated correctly. The back plate is adjustable in both height and depth to ensure a perfect custom fit as your child grows. The Stokke Steps Baby Set mounts easily onto the Stokke Steps Chair, tool-free.
Easy, tool-free to mount on the Stokke Steps Chair.
The Tray option can be used with the Stokke Steps Baby Set in order to give the child a space of their own to play and eat. Slides off horizontally and is easy to wipe clean.


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West Hampstead Area Guide
An Estate Agents Guide To West Hampstead
Looking for houses for sale in West Hampstead? Learn more about the West Hampstead area below.
Known as the Village of the West End until the 18th century, West Hampstead has retained its charming village feel, but with a renewed reputation as a trendy and well-to-do community in the London Borough of Camden.
This close-knit neighbourhood gives the impression of a relaxed country village in the midst of a city. Boasting an array of cafes, restaurants, and bars, West End Lane is a popular location with locals. Just be warned, you need to book a table on a Friday evening - we have been caught out ourselves. From boutique shops and leisure complexes to impressive architecture and green spaces, you'll be hard pushed to find a reason to dislike West Hampstead.
Striking Victorian redbrick residences and impressive mansion blocks dominate the local streets, contrasted with quaint cottages and art deco properties. It remains a highly sought-after area attracting mature professionals and families, especially with property prices often being more obtainable than in neighbouring Hampstead.
Many of our clients are attracted to West Hampstead as they wish to live north of the river and commute to different parts of London. Access to the Jubilee line is also a huge benefit, as it allows you to reach Bond Street in just 9 minutes, and Canary Wharf in 30 minutes. Rail and bus services are frequent, and you can even cycle to Oxford Street in a mere 30 minutes.
West Hampstead offers you country living in a thriving city!
As expert lettings and estate agents covering West Hampstead and the surrounding areas, don't hesitate to contact us if you wish to sell your house or rent your property in West Hampstead. We can also help you find perfect flats and houses for sale.
Thinking of buying in West Hampstead?
Thinking of renting in West Hampstead?


Quodlibet Serif is a typeface created by Tomáš Nedoma together with Rostislav Vanek and published by Signature Type Foundry which was inslired by the legibility of renaissance and Baroque Antiqua. This font family features ink traps designed as unusual style forming elements, yet suppoting crisp edges in small sizes. Pay attention to details, specialy readable in larger sizes and advanced language support. Have fun!
Price: starting from $43,00 for one font to $306,00 for all 14 fonts.
A font description published on Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 in Fonts, Rostislav Vanek, Signature Type Foundry, Tomáš Nedoma by Alexandra that has 4,685 views.


text:
What you need to know about the 2020 elections across the greater Tampa Bay region.
Presidency Not The Only Big Vote Facing Floridians
WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7 | By News Service of Florida
Element5 Digital from Pexels
As a new year begins, and as we bid a final farewell to the past decade, Floridians should look out for a number of events in the next 12 months.
For starters, two massive events are coming to the Sunshine State: the 2020 Super Bowl and WrestleMania. Those events are expected to draw huge crowds to Miami in February and Tampa in April.
But the biggest events this year will revolve around politics.
President Donald Trump's chances of winning re-election in November will run through Florida, a state that has historically been decided by thin margins.
Before the Nov. 3 general election, the president's Democratic rivals are gradually starting to build operations in the state as they try to sway voters ahead of the March 17 presidential primary.
It remains to be seen how many Democratic candidates will still be in the race after the early caucuses and primaries and Super Tuesday. But the nomination likely will still be in play when Florida Democrats go to the polls.
While most of this year's attention will focus on the presidential race, Florida won't have high-profile statewide elections for governor or U.S. senator. But the state will have plenty of other contests in the coming months.
The upcoming retirements of Republicans Ted Yoho and Francis Rooney have opened congressional seats in two deep-red districts: District 3 in North Florida and District 19 in Southwest Florida. Republican primaries in both districts are expected to get crowded.
Democrats are also trying to cut down on the 23-17 advantage Republicans hold in the Florida Senate. Democratic leaders hope to flip Senate District 39, a swing seat in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, and Senate District 9, which is in Seminole and Volusia counties.
But Democrats also will have to play some defense.
Senate Republicans are using a large war chest to protect their seats and to possibly target District 37, which is held by Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami.
In November, voters will also get a say on proposed constitutional amendments, including one that would gradually raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, a proposal largely bankrolled by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan.
Floridians also might get a chance to decide if they want to overhaul the state's primary-election system. A proposed ballot measure would allow registered voters to cast ballots in primary elections regardless of party affiliation --- a major change from the longstanding "closed" party primaries. Under the ballot measure, the two candidates getting the most votes in each primary would advance to the general election.
Another event that will greatly impact the state this year will be the 2020 U.S. Census. The results of that are expected to boost Florida's numbers in the U.S. Capitol and set the stage for redrawing the state's legislative and congressional districts ahead of the 2022 elections.
State population growth remains on track to pick up additional congressional seats in the coming years, though the state might not be adding new residents as fast as officials had believed.
U.S. Census Bureau estimates released on Monday show the Sunshine State has added roughly 640 people a day over the past year. State officials have often cited an estimate of 900 new residents a day.
Regardless, the new estimates should bolster the case for Florida expanding its U.S. House delegation after the 2020 Census. Early projections have indicated Florida's swelling population likely will push the Sunshine State's delegation from 27 to 29 members.
Every 10 years, the distribution of congressional seats across the country is adjusted based on population changes, with some states gaining seats and others losing or remaining the same.
Florida's estimated population stood at just under 21.48 million as of July 1, a nearly 1.1 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's national and state population figures released Monday.
Politics / Issues2020 Elections
Florida Joins National Database Network Aimed At Voter Accuracy
Florida Should Not Adopt 'Jungle' Primaries, Supreme Court Told


text:
Q: iText Background Opacity I want to overlay a text with semi-transparent background over an existing text using iText 7. Setting the background opacity for a text element doesn't seem to work (line 1), I can only set it for the whole paragraph (line 2):

import com.itextpdf.kernel.colors.ColorConstants;
import com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfDocument;
import com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfWriter;
import com.itextpdf.layout.Document;
import com.itextpdf.layout.element.Paragraph;
import com.itextpdf.layout.element.Text;
import com.itextpdf.layout.property.TextAlignment;
import com.itextpdf.layout.property.VerticalAlignment;
import java.io.IOException;

public class TextBackgroundOpacityTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        try (Document doc = new Document( new PdfDocument(new PdfWriter("TextBackgroundOpacityTest.pdf")))) {
            doc.add(new Paragraph(new String(new char[130]).replace("\0", "A")));

            // opacity doesn't work for text element
            doc.showTextAligned(new Paragraph(new Text("missing background transparency").setBackgroundColor(ColorConstants.WHITE, .8f)), 500, 805, 0, TextAlignment.RIGHT, VerticalAlignment.TOP, 0);

            // opacity for the whole paragraph works, but this is not what I want
            doc.showTextAligned(new Paragraph("whole pharagraph background transparancy").setBackgroundColor(ColorConstants.WHITE, .8f), 500, 785, 0, TextAlignment.RIGHT, VerticalAlignment.TOP, 0);
        }
    }
}

How can I overlay a text with a semi-transparent background as show in line 2, but just for the overlayed text, not the whole paragraph? Desired output:

A: To work around the solution you can use custom renderers. If you look at the BlockRenderer#drawBackground which is called in case you set transparent background to a paragraph you can see the following lines there:
TransparentColor backgroundColor = new TransparentColor(background.getColor(), background.getOpacity());
drawContext.getCanvas().saveState().setFillColor(backgroundColor.getColor());
backgroundColor.applyFillTransparency(drawContext.getCanvas());

TextRenderer, however, has its own implementation and does not respect transparent background. But we can customize the renderer implementation. We'll need to copy-paste quite a bit of code from the current TextRenderer implementation, but the good news is that we don't need to change a lot of code. Just insert two lines in the right place:
TransparentColor backgroundColor = new TransparentColor(background.getColor(), background.getOpacity());
backgroundColor.applyFillTransparency(drawContext.getCanvas());

Overall we get the following implementation:
private static class TextRendererWithBackgroundOpacity extends TextRenderer {
    public TextRendererWithBackgroundOpacity(Text textElement) {
        super(textElement);
    }

    @Override
    public void drawBackground(DrawContext drawContext) {
        Background background = this.<Background>getProperty(Property.BACKGROUND);
        Float textRise = this.getPropertyAsFloat(Property.TEXT_RISE);
        Rectangle bBox = getOccupiedAreaBBox();
        Rectangle backgroundArea = applyMargins(bBox, false);
        float bottomBBoxY = backgroundArea.getY();
        float leftBBoxX = backgroundArea.getX();
        if (background != null) {
            boolean isTagged = drawContext.isTaggingEnabled();
            PdfCanvas canvas = drawContext.getCanvas();
            if (isTagged) {
                canvas.openTag(new CanvasArtifact());
            }
            boolean backgroundAreaIsClipped = clipBackgroundArea(drawContext, backgroundArea);

            canvas.saveState().setFillColor(background.getColor());
            TransparentColor backgroundColor = new TransparentColor(background.getColor(), background.getOpacity());
            backgroundColor.applyFillTransparency(drawContext.getCanvas());

            canvas.rectangle(leftBBoxX - background.getExtraLeft(), bottomBBoxY + (float) textRise - background.getExtraBottom(),
                    backgroundArea.getWidth() + background.getExtraLeft() + background.getExtraRight(),
                    backgroundArea.getHeight() - (float) textRise + background.getExtraTop() + background.getExtraBottom());
            canvas.fill().restoreState();
            if (backgroundAreaIsClipped) {
                drawContext.getCanvas().restoreState();
            }
            if (isTagged) {
                canvas.closeTag();
            }
        }
    }

    @Override
    public IRenderer getNextRenderer() {
        return new TextRendererWithBackgroundOpacity((Text)modelElement);
    }
}

To make Text element use the custom renderer implementation just call setNextRenderer method:
Text customTextElement = new Text("missing background transparency");
customTextElement.setNextRenderer(new TextRendererWithBackgroundOpacity(customTextElement));

By the way you are very welcome to file the fix as a pull request to iText (please follow the contribution guidelines though). The repository is located at https://github.com/itext/itext7

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A systematic approach to stakeholder engagement, like the one outlined in this guide, can bring genuine business benefits.
The definition of 'stakeholder' is broadening.
Companies have traditionally focused on a narrow group of stakeholders: shareholders, employees, customers, and regulators. Today, companies are interacting with many other people who affect (and are affected by) their business activities, including local residents, community development groups, environmental and development organizations, citizen associations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Engaging with community stakeholders can benefit the business.
Engagement not only benefits communities; it can also improve a company's decision-making, legitimacy and competitiveness – by tapping into local knowledge, reducing conflict, boosting recruitment and preventing costly delays.
The Manila Water Company in the Philippines used to supply only 60 per cent of the city's households. Two-thirds of the water in its system was lost to leaks and unauthorized connections. Based on collaboration with customers and local organisations, a new metering system was introduced – focusing on communities rather than individuals. The company tripled its customer base, dramatically reduced unauthorized connections, and increased customer satisfaction from three to 96 per cent in just five years.
Different businesses and communities require different engagement strategies.
Community integration: a few, carefully chosen joint projects, jointly controlled with – and maybe even led by – the community.
Step 1: Identify your community stakeholders and get to know their concerns.
Interaction through social relationships or shared geography.
The table provides space for you to enter the information you have collected. Gather basic information about stakeholders and their connections to your company.
Download the guide for the complete toolset. As you work through the guide, you will gather more information about stakeholders and your interactions with them. A chart at the end of the guide (page 13) has space for all the information you will collect.
Step 2: Choose your engagement strategy.
Having identified your community stakeholders, prioritize the most important and, for those selected, choose whether to focus on investment, involvement or integration. Before launching into any project or initiative, clarify what the stakeholders really want, as well as your business goals.
Step 3: Plan your engagement process, selecting suitable practices and techniques.
If, for example, stakeholders just need more information to dispel confusion, plan "investment" techniques like flyers or ads. If, perhaps, they feel the company isn't listening to their concerns, launch "involvement" activities like surveys or public meetings. If the community wants to get more closely involved, embark on "integration" projects like joint working groups or brainstorming sessions.
Use the table on page 13 to help identify practices and techniques to improve your stakeholder improvement processes. Make sure you have the resources (time, staff, skills, budget) to deliver.
Step 4: Make community engagement permanent.
Remember that a one-off initiative is not engagement unless you learn from, build on and share the experience. Replicate successes, learn from failures, and continuously improve.
A systematic approach to stakeholder engagement will reap business benefits.
The growing expectation that companies should engage with their communities needn't be a burden. There are some simple, step-by-step guidelines that all businesses – regardless of size or sector – can follow, as well as practical tools to help at each stage. A systematic approach like the one outlined in this guide can bring genuine business benefits.


Early academies were private, state chartered institutions. Only a year after the town founding in 1809, commissioners were appointed to organize Morgan County's first academy, officially incorporated as the Madison Academy in 1815. Both male and female departments received tracts of land, and the Male Academy built a fine, two-story brick structure here.
A variety of private schools also operated in personal homes. Several were located along Porter Street. Private instruction was usually segregated by gender and ranged from primary to high school curriculum. Many younger children received their start in education in Holly Hall from Sarah Benham Judd Cooke and her daughter, proprietors of one of the South's earliest kindergartens. Several private schools were operational into the late 1880s.
These academies and schools charged tuition. They were eligible for funds established for the public school system under the 1868 State Constitution, but private education waned when Madison began public education in 1895.
This marker can also be identified by its HM code. You can use the hashtag #HM22M7 in tweets, and any other place where you might refer to this marker, including when searching on this site.


In the Netflix series House of Cards, Kevin Spacey plays a bad, bad man. But he's a mighty fine dresser.
As Frank Underwood, he's not dressing like a member of One Direction or an actor on the red carpet, because that's not what he is. He's dressing to suit (heh) the needs of his job, and on Capitol Hill not many people need to traffic in trendiness. See, when you take the political stage, everything you do is seemingly fraught with meaning, so Underwood errs on the side of classic—almost dull. Solid, somber colors. But the cut is where he really gets it right. Sure, it helps to have a costume designer making sure these things are just so, but most of the guys who are in similar positions in real life could stand to learn a thing or two from the show. Get the fit right, and go easy on the rest. So if you're a guy who wants to dress well but not look like a slave to fashion, we suggest this: Dress like Frank Underwood, don't behave like him.


Join the 'Good Morning New York' panel contributors as they discuss the hottest trends and latest news that makes New York City Real Estate so fascinating and where news about real estate deals travels around the world! No place other than New York City has this much hype and Vince and his team are all over it.. Joins us LIVE!


Let us take you, dear reader, to a street corner in Vienna where artists and janitors, writers and electromagnetic waves, books, friends and dogs have added layers to a story about space and place, institutions and intentions within folds and loops of time.
In 2014, the author was having trouble getting online while stuck at an airport without a wallet or phone and imagined a place that might be both "Free as in Art" and "Free as in Internet".
The Belle Époque witnessed not only the construction of the Viennese Palais des Beaux Arts, but also many predictions about possible alliances of arts and technology yet to come. In this photo essay, Erik Born puts utopian images of a wireless revolution from around 1900 in dialogue with emerging scholarship on the pragmatics of going wireless since the year 2000.
If exhibition spaces are also laboratories for testing things out beyond cultures of controlled consumption, then they also are places where we must experiment with the conditions to which individuals are subjected in the institutions around them; or, as a 1966 article from Life Magazine uncovered by the author puts it: in some cases "a good janitor becomes as important as a good curator."
It is the year 2117. Remains of a work by Hito Steyerl have been found aboard a sunken vessel in the lagoon of Venice. In his address to attendants of what used to be known as a Finissage, Fabian Faltin presents the most ambitious research project of the past 100 innovation cycles at the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien: the reconstruction of a so-called "video installation" from the early 21st century.
What is site-specific work for a place that exists in history as much as it exists in data, as projection and imagination, in matter and memory? The interviewer sat down for an artists chat with some of the creators of commissioned work for the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien collection.
While the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien occupied a street corner in Vienna, the activist organisation Not An Alternative ran The Natural History Museum in New York City as an occupation of institutionality itself to liberate institutions from their insidious corporate entanglements.
In a similar spirit to the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien, Manuel Minch launched Internet Moon Gallery in 2016 with the intention of exploring new modes of creating and engaging with digital art, challenging, among other things, the economy of attention in the era of the infinite scroll. He found a different place to situate his intentions and considerations: the moon.
In this excerpt from "Freie Netze" (Free Networks, 2003), Armin Medosch outlines the impact of early wireless technologies on technology, economics and art. This a first translation of this early work by the author, who passed away in 2017.
There are places where people grow up and leave, and others, whose past and future continue to inhabit ourselves ever more deeply as we explore the links between street corners, book pages and histories of ideas. Let Eva-Maria Mandl take you, dear reader, on a quick stroll around her neighbourhood.
In 2016, the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien commissioned Seth Weiner to work on a series of watercolors based upon historic Chic Parisien catalogs. Weiner's work uncovers significant gaps in the institution's catalog of transformations since 1908: occupation, confiscation, restitution, restoration and reinstitution. His project proposes occupying the Palais des Beaux Arts for the next 100 years.


text:
import { combineReducers } from 'redux';
import { routerReducer } from 'react-router-redux';
import todos from './todos';
import filter from './filter';

const rootReducer = combineReducers({
  todos,
  filter,
  routing: routerReducer
});

export default rootReducer;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Loading different Libraries with same Functions dynamically I have a program which has a reference to an external DLL:
magic.externalFunctions.sql.dll

depending on the target system I might need the following instead:
magic.externalFunctions.nosql.dll

These DLLs are external libraries who offer the same functionality. Even the public methods and properties are the same. But they do not have a combined Interface or base class.
Now I need to chose between these two libraries depending on the target system. If they would have an Interface in common I would do something like:
public class DoDatabaseStuff() {
    private IMagic _magic
    public DoDatabaseStuff(bool useNoSql) {
       if (useNoSql) {
         _magic=new SqlMagic();
       } else {
         _magic=new NoSqlMagic();
       }
       myTable=_magic.Table.Create("CustomerTable");
       myTable.Columns.Add(typeof(int),"ID");
       myTable.Columns.Add(typeof(string),"Name");
   }
}

Is there any way to solve this without using an excessive amount of reflection? I still want to use something like myTable.Columns.Add() instead of tableType.GetMethod("Add").Invoke()...
I also do not want to use conditions in the csproj using different build configurations. While this does work in theory, it gets distroyed every time the csproj changes automatically(e.g. a nuget-package updates)

A: When you are confronted with bad design that you can not change, a good way to go is to keep that design out of your code. In this case that means that you should create the common interface that your external assemblies are lacking.
You can use adapters to provide a unified interface to keep the initial design flaw out of the core of your code.
You start with creating abstractions for the original classes you want to access:
public interface IMagic {
    ITable CreateTable(string name);
}

public interface ITable {
    void AddColumn(Type type, string name);
}

Then you provide adapters:
class SqlMagicAdapter : IMagic {
    SqlMagic m_innerMagic = new SqlMagic();

    ITable CreateTable(string name) {
        return new SqlTableAdapter(m_innerMagic.Table.Create(name));
    }
}

class SqlTableAdapter : ITable {
    SqlTable m_innerTable;
    public SqlTableAdapter(SqlTable innerTable) {
        m_innerTable = innerTable;
    }
    void AddColumn(Type type, string name) {
        m_innerTable.Columns.Add(type, name);
    }
}

class NoSqlMagicAdapter : IMagic {
    NoSqlMagic m_innerMagic = new NoSqlMagic();

    ITable CreateTable(string name) {
        return new NoSqlTableAdapter(m_innerMagic.Table.Create(name));
    }
}

class NoSqlTableAdapter : ITable {
    NoSqlTable m_innerTable;
    public NoSqlTableAdapter(NoSqlTable innerTable) {
        m_innerTable = innerTable;
    }
    void AddColumn(Type type, string name) {
        m_innerTable.Columns.Add(type, name);
    }

With a factory method you can return the respective adapter:
public static class MagicFactory {
    public static IMagic GetMagic(bool useNoSql) {
        if (useNoSql) {
            return new NoSqlMagic();
        }
        else {
            return new SqlMagic();
        }
    }
}

Your core code can be kept clean by only using the abstractions returned by the factory:
public class DoDatabaseStuff() {
    private IMagic _magic
    public DoDatabaseStuff(bool useNoSql) {
       _magic = MagicFactory.GetMagic(useNoSql);
       ITable myTable = _magic.CreateTable("CustomerTable");
       myTable.AddColumn(typeof(int), "ID");
       myTable.AddColumn(typeof(string), "Name");
   }
}

An added advantage is that you are also ready for any future changes, for example yet another updated external library that is not compatible to the previous ones. You can easily support these new functionalities without changing your core code.


When it came to designing the EDC Case, I had some specific non-negotiable in mind. First off, I wanted the design to be made from a single piece of vegetable tanned leather. Doing so makes the design more expensive but I think the price compromise is worth the quality tradeoff.
Veg tanned leather (sourced from Chicago's famous Horween Leather Co.) is made by tanning the hides in a natural solution. This takes a longer time to produce, but the result is a more handsome piece of leather.
As for the single piece element, because we are not stitching together various pieces of leather to construct the case, the overall structural integrity of the design remains intact. Whenever you stitch two pieces together, you are creating seams which can cause weak spots down the road. The other issue with the stitching is that doing so literally puts holes into the leather; this too can reduce designs structural integrity as the punctures can widen over time. This is a design that will last you for years if not decades.
I also wanted to make sure that whatever went into the case was easily retrievable. To accomplish this, the EDC Case has an "around the corner" zipper which allows you to easily insert or remove bigger objects like a notebook. I didn't want it to be a struggle or feel like a jig saw puzzle to get items in and out and am happy with how the zipper design helps get this done.
Lastly, we decided to include a stitched-on handle to the side of the case to make more comfortable to carry when walking. Depending on what all you carry in the case, it can get heavy; having the handle available helps reduce some of the hand workload.
To date, I have used this case in a number of ways. On day-in, day-out basis, the case has been a great tool when running around NYC for meetings. When going on hiking trips in the White Mountains, the case has been the perfect "emergency kit," fitting all of the "just in case" items that are necessary. The case has also proven to be ideal for gear and gadgets - fitting an i-Pad mini, GoPro, phone chargers, and more.
Let us know how you use the EDC Case along with what minimalist leather good designs you would like to see designed.


text:
Huvila-teltta - Huvila Festival Tent. Photo: Sasa Tkalcan
Helsinki Festival 2011 0
Anothertravelguide.com
Helsinki Festival 2011
The programme of the Helsinki Festival features theatre, dance, circus, classical music and jazz, comprising performances of works both by internationally acclaimed artists and local stars. The team behind the festival is interested in the wealth of narrative styles in contemporary theatre, inviting artists whose conversational manner is original and distinctive. One of the greatest discoveries of recent years in Europe is the theatre of New Zealand's Lemi Ponifasio: unique and fundamentally different from the creations of any other artist, it combines archaic forms of expression and modern visual poetry and ponders the fragile power of the links between nature, man and the contemporary world. Ponifasio is bringing to Helsinki his Birds with Skymirrors.
The festival programme likewise features Via Intolleranza, the final work of the late German action artist, opera, theatre and film director Christoph Schlingensief who passed away last year - a piece that is still touring international festivals, not only as a sign of respect for the great prematurely deceased artist; the German pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale, winner of this year's Leone D'Oro, was also a tribute to Christoph Schlingensief's art. Via Intolleranza is a powerful, radically non-conformist work that, although created a year ago, addresses our contemporaries, here and today - the farewell of a dying artist. Read more...
www.helsinginjuhlaviikot.fi


text:
Quiet Revolution in Rabat: Morocco's Youth Want Their Own Form of Change
Young people across Morocco are demanding change and more democratic freedoms. King Mohammed VI has allowed for reform of the country's constitution, but a bomb attack last month in Marrakech which left 17 dead threatens progress.
For reasons of data protection and privacy, your IP address will only be stored if you are a registered user of Facebook and you are currently logged in to the service. For more detailed information, please click on the «i» symbol.
Najib Chaouki and his friends arranged over Facebook to meet near Témara, on the outskirts of the Moroccan capital Rabat. The plan was to meet on Sunday, May 15, for a picnic in front of the country's domestic intelligence service headquarters. They wanted to protest the police state in their country.
Témara is a place the government doesn't like to talk about. This is where the CIA and the British MI5 are believed to have brought and brutally tortured suspected terrorists after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Chaouki, 32, a blogger from Rabat, and his fellow protesters, who mobilize tens of thousands of demonstrators each month, were proud of their plan. «We wanted to inform the public about the intelligence service's illegal tactics,» the young man with the long, dark curls explains.
They didn't get that far. Special police units were already waiting for the young people in the early morning. Chaouki was in a supermarket when plainclothes policemen outside began beating the new arrivals with clubs. The officers pursued about 100 young women and men for two hours, even chasing them onto the rooftops of surrounding buildings. Ten of the protesters ended up in the hospital with injuries.
King Mohammed VI's Reforms
The failed picnic shows that three months after young Moroccans first called for demonstrations on Feb. 20, expanding the Arab pro-democracy movement to their country, the freedom to publicly express opinions is still under threat there.
The events on May 15 also represented a serious setback along the path to a liberal society, since King Mohammed VI promised in early March to establish a more democratic system and a state governed by the rule of law. The king appointed a national council for human rights and created a commission to develop a new constitution. He declared his willingness to take the steps he considered necessary for Morocco to achieve peacefully what Tunisia and Egypt were only able to attain by deposing those in power.
But all that was before two bombs, apparently remotely detonated, exploded in the famous tourist café Argana at the well-known Djemaa el-Fna square in the heart of Marrakech on April 28, killing 17 people. Police have since arrested seven suspects — al-Qaida sympathizers, according to information from the Moroccan interior ministry.
But just as with the suicide attacks in Casablanca eight years ago, here, too, rumors began circulating immediately that the country's intelligence service had a hand in the matter. The rumors suggest that these hardliners, intent on holding onto their own power, weren't pleased when the king released about 100 prisoners in mid-April, including several who had been convicted as terrorists.
A Movement Under Threat
Since then, the pro-democracy movement seems to be under threat again, but young Moroccans won't let themselves be driven back off the streets that easily. «They've overcome the wall of fear,» says Fahd Iraqi, editor-in-chief of the critical political magazine Tel Quel, which supports the young demonstrators' demands.
«We're pacifists,» states Chaouki, who completed high school in Germany and studied there. Young Moroccans' largest complaint is not with the monarchy. Unlike their contemporaries in neighboring countries, they aren't calling for the overthrow of their ruler. Mohammed VI can remain head of state as far as they're concerned — he just should not continue to govern as well.
This is the unusual aspect of the Moroccan Spring: The movement doesn't aim to overthrow a leader, and yet it is revolutionary. The king sees himself as a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, making him both the highest leader of believers and a secular ruler.
This absolute power, which the country's rebellious youth would like to see curtailed, has nonetheless allowed the king to implement overdue reforms — going against resistance from Morocco's rigid political system and Islamists when necessary. He pushed through a family law reform that gave women equal rights, and he pursued reconciliation with the country's left-wing opposition, long brutally repressed under his father, Hassan II.
Making Change From Within
Now Mohammed VI has announced a revision to the constitution: In the future, the king will no longer be able to appoint whomever he likes as head of the government. Instead, the leader will come from the party that wins in free elections. The king also wants to further the separation of powers and make the judiciary independent. «Be creative» was the monarch's recommendation to the members of a new constitutional commission, which he filled with representatives from civil society, academia and human rights groups.
The battle against corruption also has the king's blessing. Revelations concerning the political class's habit of lining its own pockets, which were contained in US embassy cables released by the Internet platform WikiLeaks, provoked a great deal of resentment among Moroccans, prompting young protesters to demand the most brazen of these opportunists be removed from positions close to the monarch. They achieved one success when the king appointed Abdesselam Aboudrar, founder of the Moroccan branch of Transparency International, to be the president of a government agency that will take action against corruption.
In the 1970s, Aboudrar attempted to overthrow the monarchy together with other left-wing activists, then survived five years in a secret prison in the basement of a police station in Casablanca. Now the engineer and financial expert believes he can accelerate reforms by working together with the king.
Morocco's problem isn't so much the monarch's extensive power, says this one-time enemy of the state, but the political parties themselves. The same members of the «Makhzen,» the ruling elite, keep handing out posts to members of the government's 20 most important groups, and they've lost voters' trust. In the country's 2007 parliamentary elections, 63 percent of those eligible to vote did not do so.
'The Time for Self-Censorship Is Over'
Businessman Omar Balafrej, 37, a former member of Morocco's socialist party, says he's pleased that the king's changes to the constitution have given the parties a share of responsibility. It's high time, he says, for a young generation of politicians to show «courage to make far-reaching change.»
What Balafrej likes about the movement of Feb. 20 is that young people are getting involved in politics. «The time for self-censorship is over,» he says. «Now we can criticize everything.» He's not worried about the future: «If the constitutional reform doesn't go far enough for us, we can reject it.»
For the time being, these unlikely partners — the young protesters and the king who likes to style himself a reformer from above — rely on one another. They're the only agents of change among the rigid political parties.
And unlike in other Arab countries, Morocco's rebels must work on the assumption that the majority of the country's 31 million inhabitants are very much content with a patriarchal king watching over the country. More than 75 percent of the population is under 35 years old, making them members of the «M6» generation who have reached adulthood during Mohammed VI's reign.
Talking to Young People Through Radio
This generation's attitude towards life is particularly familiar to the team that has spent the last five years operating Moroccan young people's favorite radio station, Hit Radio. One million listeners tune in every day to Hit Radio's programs, produced by a small crew of young men and women in Rabat's hip neighborhood of Agdal.
Station founder Younès Boumehdi, 40, says he was the first to give young people in the Arab world the opportunity to speak openly on the radio about topics important to them. In particular, his radio station is known for rap performed in Darija, the powerful everyday language of the people, and Bouhmedi believes these performances anticipated the young rebels' complaints and demands.
A marketing specialist who earned his degree in Paris, Bouhmedi knows that most of his listeners don't favor fighting in the streets. «We don't want chaos,» they write on Facebook. Members of the M6 generation don't want to jeopardize the freedoms they've earned — but they also want to see change continue.
Translated from the German by Ella Ornstein
Tags: Demokrati Demonstration Ikkevoldsrevolusjon Youth
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Q: Picasso isn't loading scrolled images efficiently? I am using a gridview that loads a bunch of images through picasso. I have implemented viewholders and I'm not sure what else I could do with the adapter or imageview to make it load better. I've isolated the issue to the image loading through an internet connection because the scrolling is fine when I load images locally.
The gridview scrolling is very buggy when using picasso and the scroll jumps around constantly when it shouldn't. What is the solution to this issue?

A: First of all I suggest you to use RecyclerView with GridLayoutManager or StaggeredGridLayoutManager. It must be more effective and view itself contain less bugs.
Next, use OkHttp with Picasso. It's more stable, powerful and consistent http client. And I think most important to you configure memory/file cache.
// Create a cache using an appropriate portion of the available RAM
Cache memoryCache = new LruCache(getApplicationContext());

// Use OkHttp as downloader
Downloader downloader = new OkHttpDownloader(getApplicationContext(),
                    PICASSO_DISK_CACHE_SIZE);

mPicasso = new Picasso.Builder(getApplicationContext())
              .downloader(downloader).memoryCache(memoryCache).build();

Speed of loading also depend on network condition and image size.


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Five-year Plan: In Pursuit of Double-digit Economic Growth
Business | 4 years ago
The federal government must embrace structural reforms to leapfrog economic growth, writes Obinna Chima
Every nation desire rapid economic growth. Faster growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands the overall size of an economy and strengthens fiscal conditions. It also translates to an increase in the standard of living of the populace as an increase in productivity would typically rub off on the workforce in the country. That is why policy makers are always in pursuit of higher GDP growth rates.
For Nigeria whose GDP used to grow at an average of seven percent prior to the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, has continued to totter with growth hovering around two per cent should be discomforting to the federal government
The nation's GDP slowed to 2.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 (Q1, 2019), according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The World Bank Group recently predicted real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 2.1 per cent for Nigeria for 2019, slightly lower than the 2.2 per cent it had predicted for the country same year in a report early this year.
Also, one of leading rating agencies in the country, Moody's Investors Services predicted GDP growth of 2.3 per cent for Nigeria in 2019. These shows that if the country continues at its current growth rate, which is below its population growth rate of about three per cent per annum, it will be extremely difficult to achieve its fight against the excruciating level of poverty in the country.
Therefore, in order to support the fiscal authorities in addressing this anomaly, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, last week unfolded the Bank's policy direction for the next five-year under his watch, targeting double-digit growth, single-digit inflation, $12 billion non-oil exports by 2023 and raising financial inclusion to 95 percent level.
Some Other 5-year Targets
Emefiele also pledged to retain managed-float exchange rate and announce a bank recapitalisation exercise that would see banks jacking up their capital base above the N25 billion minimum level that one of his predecessors, Prof. Charles Soludo, introduced in 2004.
He also pledged to retain managed-float exchange rate and announce a bank recapitalisation that will see banks jacking up their capital base above the N25 billion minimum level that one of his predecessors, Prof. Charles Soludo, introduced in 2004.
Emefiele, who gave more details of his five-year policy direction, listed CBN priorities over the period to include preservation of domestic macroeconomic and financial stability; fostering the development of a robust payments system infrastructure that will increase access to finance for all Nigerians thereby raising the financial inclusion rate in the country and working with the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to improve access to credit for not only small holder farmers and MSMEs but also consumer credit and mortgage facilities for bank customers.
He said henceforth, the CBN intervention support programme would also be extended to the youth population who possess entrepreneurship skills in the creative industry.
He said within the intervening period, the CBN would further encourage banks to direct more focus in supporting the education sector.
According to him, he will strive to grow the external reserves and support efforts at diversifying the economy through the CBN intervention programmes in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
He added: "We are confident that when implemented, these measures will help to insulate our economy from potential shocks in the global economy. In my second term in office, part of my pledge, is to work to the best of my abilities in fulfilling these objectives."
He also disclosed that the apex bank would leverage monetary policy tools in supporting a low inflation environment, while seeking to maintain stability in exchange rate- with a key emphasis on supporting improved GDP growth and greater private sector investment.
He added that decisions by the Monetary Policy Committee on inflation and interest rates would also be dependent on insights generated from data on key economic variables.
Emefiele added that the CBN would seek to broaden financial inclusion by ensuring that at least 95 per cent of all eligible adults have access to financial services by 2024.
In addition, the apex bank would strive to sustain a positive interest rate regime, "to the delight of our important stakeholders."
The CBN governor said monetary policy measures would be geared towards containing inflationary pressures and supporting improved productivity in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
Emefiele also said the CBN would continue to operate a managed-float exchange rate regime in order to reduce the impact which continuous volatility in the exchange rate could have on the economy.
He added that the country remained committed to a free trade regime that is mutually beneficial and particularly aimed at supporting domestic industries and creating jobs on a mass scale for Nigerians while the dynamics of global trade continues to evolve in advanced economies.
He said the CBN would support measures to increase and diversify Nigeria's exports base and help in shoring up reserves.
"We intend to aggressively implement our N500 billion facility aimed at supporting the growth of our non-oil exports, which will help to improve non-oil export earnings," he stated.
He said though the goals were onerous and tasking, the CBN would remain committed to fulfilling its mandated objectives of price and exchange rate stability.
He noted that the measures while supporting improved inflows into the country, would also help to stabilise exchange rate and build external reserves.
According to him, emphasis will also be placed on improving speed and efficiency of payment channels, while working to ensure that digital channels are safe and secure as this will help to build confidence in the nation's payment system.
Emefiele said to improve utilisation rate, the CBN would continue to ensure that payment channels are interoperable, to enable individuals with digital devices to transact across different banks or payment modes.
He said the CBN would further work with NIBSS, banks and Fintechs in developing a regulatory sandbox to "enable us to test financial innovations by Fintechs and banks in a controlled environment, in order to assess its impact on the growth and safety of our financial system."
The CBN governor said he would boost productivity growth through the provision of improved seedlings, as well as access to finance for rural farmers in the agricultural sector, across 10 different commodities namely rice, maize, cassava, cocoa, tomato, cotton, oil-palm, poultry, fish and livestock/dairy.
Growth Constraints
Pan-African rating agency, Augusto & Co, in a report had noted that policy makers in Nigeria are faced with "hard choices with no easy way out."
The firm stated this in a report titled: 'Buhari Version II (2019—2023): Economic Perspectives.' The report noted that Nigeria is currently in "a dire fiscal strait and the numbers are quite grim," adding that despite the positive spin about Nigeria's benign debt to GDP currently around 20 per cent, interest payments as a percentage of revenue are over 60 per cent.
"Other fiscal indicators also put Nigeria at the bottom of the rung even among sub-Sahara African peers. Nigeria's five-year average of capital expenditure as a percentage of nominal GDP is a meagre 2.1 per cent which pales in comparison to Angola (seven per cent) and Kenya (7.6 per cent).
"However, with a projected budget deficit of N3.8 trillion in 2019, capital expenditure as a percentage of nominal GDP could decline further to 1.1 per cent this year.
"The implication of this burgeoning deficit is that in 2019, Nigeria will have to borrow to meet its obligatory spendings – interest payments, transfers and payroll – projected at about N5.4 trillion with a revenue of about N4 trillion.
"This implies a cash crunch for capital expenditure. Thus, with this fiscal backdrop, macro reforms that will improve the revenue position of the government and pare back the deficit by cutting spending are nonnegotiable," the report predicted.
According to Agusto & Co, Buhari in his second term would have to work to raise revenue while also restructuring government spending. This, they noted would require politically unpopular "but inevitable choices."
For instance, the report pointed out that Nigeria's current fuel subsidy regime indicates the country may have readopted opaque practises of the past that not only create a huge fiscal hole but a morass as well.
"With subsidy payments probably in the range of N1.2 – N1.3 trillion annually, the country is obviously haemorrhaging especially amidst the steep opportunity costs.
"Buhari will not only have to stop this fiscal haemorrhage but also muster the political will to deregulate the downstream petroleum industry once and for all times," it added.
It recalled that Buhari's victory of 2015 was largely greeted with euphoria by a business community expectant of badly needed macro reforms. However, long-term watchers of the president were quite dismissive of his inclinations towards macro-reforms, it stated.
It noted that, "middle of the ground analysts buoyed by some of the bold pro-market reforms in the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP), had hoped for some form of Damascene moment for the president that would get him to expend some of his political capital on tough and politically unpopular macro reforms.
"The 68 per cent rise in the pump price of petrol to N145 in May 2016 from N86.50 and the feeble response from the oft anti-reformist labour unions had given a bit of hope to these middle of the ground analysts that Buhari did intend to expend some of his political capital to pursue unpopular reforms.
"However, Buhari's rhetoric on exchange rate policies which may have driven the central bank into adopting a demand management stance on the currency, cleared doubts about the president's statist economic ideologies. "Without a doubt, the effects of the currency crisis did send Nigeria into its first recession in 25 years," the report added.
It noted that the calls for adjustment of exchange rates, electricity tariffs and petrol prices, to reflect market fundamentals, were largely ignored by the president.
This, it noted left the country with a burgeoning fiscal deficit.
"The second argument to demonstrate the statist stance of this administration would be the abortion of its own reform programmes.
"For instance, the planned concession of the major international airports in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja by this administration and the cold trail of the process buttress this argument."
Continuing, the report stated: "The reform-lite approach of the Buhari administration in the first term implies that it has an extensive to-do list in the second and final term.
"Some of the big issues that will make or mar Buhari's economic records will be the management of subsidies and other cost unreflective tariffs being stifled by price controls.
"These reforms will require the removal of subsidies on the pump price of petrol, allow market forces to determine the domestic price of natural gas, allow electricity tariffs that enable operators earn margins on their costs and also ensure exchange rates reflect fundamentals.
"These reforms could help stimulate investments across board and unlock economic growth. The Buhari administration will also need to adopt a private sector growth approach.
"Overall, we believe that Nigeria cannot sidestep reforms without severe consequences that could last an entire generation. History beckons on Buhari to prove the naysayers wrong."
Assessing CBN's 5-year Target
To the Managing Director, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, the 5-year policy targets that were outlined by Emefiele are the overall economic targets of the country.
"If you look at each of those things he mentioned – reducing the level of inflation to single digit, increasing the GDP growth rate to double digit, financial inclusion of ninety five percent by 2024 – those should be the basic policies of the federal government in terms of economic development because one of the key challenges is that the economy is growing at a very slow rate.
"There is macroeconomic instability because we have high interest rate, high inflation rate and the capacity to carry out some of these pronouncements would be highly dependent on the policies of the fiscal authorities. Right now, we do not have a Minister of Finance nor a clear vision of what the government economic policy is. With the best of intention the efforts of the CBN to achieve these goals would largely depend on the fiscal authorities," he explained.
He added: "Let us say for instance they said they were going to encourage mortgage lending and consumer lending; to do that, a lot of things have to be put in place. The per capital earnings of average Nigerians is very low so they cannot afford to properly service a mortgage loan.
"So for CBN to encourage mortgage loans it has to work with the fiscal authorities at the state and federal level to bring down the cost of properties. In that case, you are talking of the government subsidising prices of land and properties so they are cheaper and an average employee can afford to service a mortgage.
"In addition the CBN can introduce a finance initiative to mortgage banks so that they can lend at sub-optimal rates or below market rates. We already have an institution like Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company, although unfortunately, we are not seeing its effectiveness presently because it seems like there is a shift in government policy."
To a former Commissioner of Finance, Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun, forex supply is one of the factors that causes distortions to the economy.
According to him, the "task is for us to get foreign exchange from anywhere, be it diaspora and everybody bringing back their foreign exchange, because the challenge is always on the supply side. Basically we have to deal with the issue of liquidity in terms of foreign exchange."
Also, Deji Alli, Managing Director of ARM Investment Managers, noted the impact of the country's huge infrastructure deficit on economic growth. He also advised the CBN to collaborate with other regulatory agencies to develop policies that can attract long-term equity financing.
"If we can't attract long-term equity financing, then it is going to be difficult for us to attract foreign investments in any manner," he said. According to him, the right regulatory framework should be developed for pension fund administrators to commit some portion of the over N9 trillion pension funds to infrastructure development. This, according to him would go a long way in stimulating economic growth.
"Policies have to be in place to create attractive opportunities for the country to move ahead," Alli added.
On his part, the Vice Chairman, Alpha African Advisory and former Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, stressed the need for the federal government to implement policies that would enable the country achieve double-digit growth rate.
He reiterate the call for an end to the removal of certain subsidies in the country as well as pay greater attention to security and infrastructure.
On fuel subsidy, he said, "the economy is losing N1.2 trillion per year. Who gets the fuel subsidy? The rich people with six cars are those benefitting from fuel subsidy. The average rich person in Ikoyi is getting approximately 100 times a year fuel subsidy than person in Shomolu in Lagos."
Chike-Obi added, "everybody deserves to have electricity but you charge electricity based on those who needed it the most in the market price. Most people that uses generator pay N160/Kwh and pays comfortable.
"If you tell these power company that they can sale power at N160/kwh, they will make sure much money that more power will be generated."
He also expressed concern about Nigeria's rising debt service ratio, which according to him could be about 70 per cent.
"The problem we have in Nigeria is that we keep problems until they become so big that we have to fix it. I have advocated that we should use inflation to change the minimum wage every year. We can be doing this if we have vision in small step because most of the great things that are done are done with a plan and gradually. We have serious problems in this economy. The problems are that of growth, unemployment and productivity," the former AMCON boss insisted.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on his part, described consumer credit as a vital tool for fighting corruption and also an economic growth enabler.
To this end, Dangote urged the CBN and commercial banks in the country to work towards developing consumer credit products so as to encourage low income earners.
"We need to work very hard on consumer lending. It is even going to help the government in fighting corruption especially for the low income earners. If somebody has a paid job and there is consume credit, you can take such credit to buy household equipment and pay for four years. "We must also do mortgage. It will also help in terms of fighting corruption," he explained.
He, however, said the biggest challenge in the country was implementation.
"How do you have economic growth without power? Without power there can't be growth. Egypt electricity increased by 10 gigawatts, which is equivalent to 10,000 megawatts, in 18 months.
"But in Nigeria we have been struggling for 18 years without adding 1,000 megawatts and we have spent about three times the amount Egypt spent. Why? So, I think we all need to be concerned about that. I keep saying that when you look at the contributions to the GDP, the government is only about 17 per cent and 80 per cent is private sector," he added.
Owing to this, he advised private sector operators to remain committed to contributing to the growth of the economy.
"It is only the private sector that can partner with government to create this. It is not difficult but we must drive the process. No foreigner can invest unless we the locals invest in our country."
He pointed out that smuggling was causing a lot of harm to businesses in the country, citing Nigeria's porous border as a challenge.
Dangote said there was need to focus on import-substitution.
The Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, stated that to engender growth, there was need to get all the fundamentals in the economy right.
"No matter the economic theory we propound, if the fundamentals are not right, it definitely cannot work. If we have the fundamentals right, the common man does not want to know whether interest rate is high or low," Ovia declared.
The founder of ANAP, Mr. Atedo Peterside, noted that monetary policy has its limits. He advised the CBN to ensure that the issue of multiple exchange rate is addressed. He also said there was need to implement policies that would ensure that inflation gradually drops to about five per cent.
Therefore, for Nigeria to achieve double-digit growth in the next five years, the federal government in collaboration with the central bank must ensure that the economy is diversified away from crude oil as its major source of revenue, to agriculture, innovation, manufacturing, services and other activities in the non-oil sector.
This, is what is needed to drive productivity, which would naturally translate to an increase in disposal income and higher investments which impacts GDP growth positively. Clearly, it must do away with the fuel subsidy that has remained a drain on the nation. In addition, policy makers must support investment in education because of its multiplier effects on economic growth in the medium term.


It remains unknown when Weston-super-Mare's A&E department will reopen 24/7, but its top boss is confident 'good improvements' are being made.
Weston Area Health Trust (WAHT) chief executive James Rimmer has told of an 'improving picture' at Weston General Hospital's emergency department, which has been operating at reduced hours for more than a year.
A 'temporary' closure of the department between 10pm-8am has been in place since July 2017 after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) slated the service, plus a shortage of senior doctors.
Mr Rimmer faced questions from North Somerset Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel on September 20 at Weston Town Hall, where he told councillors there has been progress with the A&E department, but could not offer an update on when it will reopen.
He said: "The department remains closed overnight and our recruitment continues.
"With consultants, the top-level doctors, we have made limited progress, but with the middle grade we have made very good progress, and we think that is key to getting more consultants on board.
"By the end of the year we should have a full compliment of middle-grade doctors.
Mr Rimmer conceded the hospital's recruitment struggles – which he said have been exacerbated by Brexit uncertainty reducing the appeal for European workers – have lead to a 'disproportionate' dependence on agency staff to plug shortages.
He said this has also contributed to a 'challenged financial position' – with the hospital required to run a deficit of no more than £12.4million a year.
The chief executive said achieving that will be 'tight', with the deficit so far this financial year calculated at £4.4million.
Clevedon South councillor Bob Garner called for 'more openness' and said there were examples of 'misleading notices' released by WAHT, but his claims were refuted by Mr Rimmer.
The chief executive also updated the panel on the merger of WAHT with University Hospitals Bristol.
He said: "The partnership is alive and well. We are working towards a merger in October 2019.
The hospital meanwhile expects an inspection by the CQC in the not too distant future.