Taking into account the climatic changes expected in the future, significant shrinking of the current favourable ecological zones for sunflower is anticipated, and the transition period to that situation may be very short. The classical breeding process has a relatively long duration (7-9 years), so breeders are interested in taking advantage of some biotechnological methods (embryo rescue) for obtaining new sunflower lines with increasing tolerance to a certain stress factor.
In Romania, Vrânceanu (2000)  was able to obtain interspecific progenies (H. annuus x H. argophyllus) with drought resistance.
Interspecific hybridization is an additional technique to create new sources of genetic variability for the improvement of sunflower (Christov, 2013) . With all the difficulties that may arise due to differences in the number of chromosomes (2x, 4x, 6x) and crossing incompatibility, interspecific hybridization is considered as an accessible way to incorporate wild germplasm into cultivated sunflower, especially to increase the resistance to abiotic stress factors (Iouraş and Voinescu, 1984) .
At the beginning of the project, 27 H. annuus parental lines were crossed with H. argophyllus, and two generations of interspecific hybrids/year were obtained in the greenhouse and house vegetation of NARDI-Fundulea in the first 2 years after the start of the project.
From each line hybrid obtained in 2008-2009 (Saucă et al., 2010) , six plants were selected, and their seeds underwent parallel backcross, self-pollination, and selection procedure.
As a result of this process, seven lines with significantly improved resistance to drought and heat (tested in field and laboratory) and that are suitable for organic farming system were selected in backcross 7. In 2015, these seven uniform lines with high production potential, oil content of over 43%, and resistance to broomrape and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum will be used to create commercial hybrids for ecological culture.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Romania considered organic farming (similar to organic farming or biological agriculture), which differs fundamentally from conventional agriculture, as a "modern" process to cultivate plants, to fatten animals, and to produce food (www.mapam.ro) .
The Commission for Codex Alimentarius defines organic agriculture as "a production management system that promotes and maintains healthy development of agro-ecosystems, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity."
As science, organic farming deals with the systematic study of materials (living organisms and their environment) and functions (intra- and inter-relations material structures) of the agricultural systems, with design and management agro-ecosystems capable of providing for lengthy human needs for food, clothing, and housing, without reducing the potential environmental, economic, and social impact.
As occupation, organic farming is the activity that integrates theoretical knowledge about nature and agriculture in sustainable technological systems, based on the material, energy, and information resources of the agricultural systems (Toncea, 2000) .
To achieve this, organic farming relies on a number of objectives and principles, as well as on best practices designed to minimize human impact on the environment, while ensuring that the agricultural system operates as naturally as possible.
Under the agreement in the integration of our country into the European Union, one of the measures imposed, inter alia, is the implementation of organic farming system. Apparently, this was something new, but some restrictions were easier to accept, for example, the interdiction for the use of chemical inputs that were not applied anyway on large surfaces in many agricultural areas due to economic considerations. However, a cause of concern is the lack of market demand for certified organic products and the low purchasing power of consumers. The price of an organic product is higher than its counterpart produced in the conventional system.
Raising awareness and ability to reach market leadership.
Farms and organic agro companies are generally small- or medium-sized. Worldwide, most organic farms occupy small areas (0.5-30 ha), cultivate, and/or grow a small number of one, two, or three species of plants and animals and process one, two, or three different agricultural products.
Non-use of fertilizers and soil improvers, substances used in animal nutrition, pesticides, food additives, growth promoters, cleaning and disinfecting products for livestock buildings, and products other than those permitted to be used in organic farming.
Developing of crop cultivation technologies targeted for alternative agriculture, especially for organic farming agriculture may improve the performance socio-economic indicators for these activities. This requires proper management of all the factors that contribute to high and stable yields per unit area, compliance with specific regulations and finally the recognition of finished products, in this case, an organic production certification.
Using animal husbandry practices tailored to each race individually.
To produce in sufficient quantities and at an appropriate quality level, thus ensuring the health of food consumers.
The provisions on labeling of products from organic farming stipulated in Regulation (EC) no. 834/2007 on organic production and on labeling of organic products stated in Regulation (EC) no. 889/2008 that provide detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) no. 834/2007 are very precise and aim to offer consumers full confidence that products carrying the organic product label or the Community logo are obtained in accordance with the rules and principles contained in these regulations or, in the case of imports, are under the equivalent system with less demanding requirements.
To obtain and market labeled organic products and carrying specific organic production Community logo, producers must complete and strictly follow a rigorous process.
Thus, before you can obtain agricultural products that can be marketed as products of organic farming, the products must first undergo a conversion period of at least two years.
During the entire chain of production of an organic product, operators must constantly observe the rules established by Regulation (EEC) no. 834/2007.
In Romania, control and certification of organic products are currently provided by private inspection and certification bodies. They are approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), based on the criteria of independence, impartiality, and competence as established in Order no. 688/2007 regarding the "Rules for organization of the inspection and certification system and approval of the certification and inspection bodies".
MARD's approval of control bodies requires a previous mandatory accreditation in accordance with European standard EN ISO 45011: 1998, which was issued by an agency authorized for this purpose. Following the inspections performed by regulatory bodies, certain products of operators complying with the rules of organic production may receive organic product certificate, and these products are permitted to be marked as "eco-labeled products".
Before the application of the label to an organic product, the following requirements must be fulfilled: the reference to organic production logo, name and code of the inspection and certification body that carried out the inspection and issued the organic product certification. The "ae" logo specific for national organic products, together with the Community logo, can be used for better views of consumer products from organic production.
The right to use the "ae" logo on product labels and packaging of organic products is given to producers, processors, and importers registered with MARD and holding a contract with a control body approved by MARD.
As part of the campaign to promote organic agriculture in the European Union (EU) at the initiative of the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, a website dedicated to this purpose was created: www.ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/home.ro.
The main objective of this site is to inform the general public about organic farming system as a starting point in the realization of promotional campaigns in different Member States.
Additionally, in order to promote the organic products, the European Commission provides support of up to 50% of information and promotion programs submitted by professional and inter-professional organisations, involving at least 20% of the actual cost of measures, and budget co-financing being provided by the State in accordance with Regulation (EC) no. 3/2008 on information and promotion actions for agricultural products on the internal market and in developing countries and Regulation (EC) no. 501/2008 that lays down detailed rules on implementing Regulation (EC) no. 3/2008 (information taken from the MARD website).
If during the period 1950-1990 in Romania the objectives were to increase agricultural production to meet food requirements in view of the growing population, today the objectives are focused on finding new solutions that aim to respect the environment, create a system production that is economically viable, and maintenance and use of natural resources.
This new type of farming is called sustainable agriculture, and it involves a set of techniques and practices that should ensure a satisfactory production, ensuring food requirements are met and taking into account environmental protection.
After 1990, the gap recorded between quantitative indicators expressing the production potential and quality, caused by low endowment and equipment necessary to conduct the production process as well as related inputs, led to the development of technologies' extensive culture.
Another cause is the high fragmentation and dispersion of farms due to the implementation of the Land Law no. 18/1991. Currently, the farming land (14.8 million. Ha) is dispersed in about 40 million parcels. In 1972, the I.F.O.A.M. (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) based in Germany was established. This federation groups more than 670 organizations and institutions from more than 100 countries worldwide.
The European Economic Community (EEC) recognized a majority vote of the European Parliament on 19 February 1986 on the existence of alternative agriculture based on resolutions adopted through Regulation 2092/91. A series of regulations were formulated, of which particularly important is Regulation EEC 1936/1995, which specified that from 1 January 2000, organic farming materials are the only ones to be used in sowing/planting.
According to I.F.O.A.M. statistics (February 2001), the world agricultural area intended for organic production was estimated to be 15.8 million hectares, with the largest area in Australia (7.6 million hectares), Argentina (3 million hectares), and Italy (1 million hectares).
In all EU countries, there is a real desire for developing OA, which will hold over 10% of the cultivated area. Agricultural area in the "bio" or "organic" agricultural systems in some countries is as follows: Italy - over 1.1 million ha, United Kingdom - 600,000 ha, France - 400,000 ha, Spain - 380,000 ha, and Austria - 250.000 ha. In the USA and Japan, about 20% of food is through organic production system.
In Romania, organically cultivated agricultural areas have seen a spectacular growth in the period 2010-2013, so at the end of 2013, about 301,148 ha were recorded by MARD.
Regarding the European organic food market, Germany has the biggest market, with sales of approximately 2.5 billion euro, and in terms of average consumption per capita of ecological products, Denmark and Switzerland are leading.
The markets for organic products are both the countries that depend on exports of organic products (Italy) and the countries that depend on imports of organic products (UK). Extremes of demand and supply in each country adjust by themselves. According to the study, the current situation appears to be changing because, in the UK, it is estimated that domestic production will meet the demand, while in Italy, the demand will increase. Today, increasingly more organic products are imported from Eastern Europe.
European Commission experts estimate that the market for organic products last year reached a value of 23 billion euro in the European Union. The organic market in the European Union is virtually all primary and processed agricultural produce (bread, wine, meat, milk, oil, fish, etc.). According to the study, organic products are generally 25-30% more expensive than conventional products, but depending on the supply and demand, the price could reach 400% of the price of the conventional ones.
Many local experts consider that countries in the Eastern Europe would need 10-15 years to be able to develop and structure the internal market at the level of the Western EU states. An argument invoked to support this assertion is the example of Spain, where it required about 17 years after integration to structure the internal market at the level of the other member states. Meanwhile, Spain exports almost all northern European market organic products. Eastern European countries will need to focus on organic production of the scanty products in the EU, including vegetable protein and red fruit, because Western countries have begun to significantly reduce production in sectors requiring a large labor force.
In Romania, the ecological production sectors benefit from European funding of about 200 million euro, which is available through a dedicated position in the new National Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020.
In addition, payments for OA, which are made by APIA, will continue. The registered farmers in organic agriculture will receive grants of 500 euro/hectare/year for growing vegetables, 620 euro/hectare/year for horticulture, 530 euro/hectare/year for vineyards, and 365 euro/hectare/year under organic cultivation of medicinal plants.
The experts appreciate that prices of organic products could be 10-20% higher than those of conventional ones if there are many farms and slaughterhouses certified. Romania currently has only 2-3 farms of laying hen organic certificates and some organic dairy farms, but instead the Romanian exports of organic wheat are significantly high, meanwhile part of this commodity is imported back as processed ecological products at prices 2-3 times higher than the conventional ones.
According to the MARD, the value of the domestic market of organic products in 2008 was about 20 million euro, while exports were at 100 million euro, which was twice the amount in 2006. Under an adjustment of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2009, Romania proposed that organic farming be financially supported by this package. Since this adjustment, CAP has created a financial reserve that allows the Member States to develop certain programs to fully support a particular context, technically called Article 68.
The financial envelope allocated to Romania for 2010 only amounted to EUR 5 million. The increase in the organic market in Romania continues; with only 86 registered organic food processors in 2008; in 2010, the number became 3,155; and in 2012, it was 15,194.
Exports of organic products in 2008 amounted to 100 million euros, which was equivalent to about 130,000 tons of products, of which only 1% were processed products and 0.94% were honey products. The primary export destinations were the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Italy, and the UK. Imports of organic products were worth 10.8 million euro, which was almost double the amount for 2007, with fruit and legume preserves, coffee, and sweets being the most significant products.
The turnover in organic agriculture worldwide was 46 billion dollars in 2007, up by 10% compared to 2006, while in Europe the figure reached a level of 15.4 billion euro, 15% more than in 2006.
The productive potential of agriculture ecological system of the country can reach up to 15-20% of the total agricultural areas largely concentrated in hilly mountain where technology maintenance and use of pastures were based on traditional methods - organic (manure application, utilization of grazing and/or mowing, use of fodder and clover ameliorating soil fertility, use of vegetable-livestock mixed system), but are not neglected arable land in the North-East.
Production for subsistence and its negative consequences - hunger and social inequity.
These imperatives can be resolved only by organic farming, an agricultural practice in some countries that is called organic or biological farming, which sprang from the secular experience of agriculture.
Organic farming is not a miracle or a wonder, but a creation of nature-loving farmers, who aim for harmony and dynamic interactions among soil, plants, animals, and humans, or, in other words between supply natural ecosystems and human needs of food, clothing, and housing.
The agro-ecological systems have long life due to components, structural and functional stability, and ability to cope with any disruptive or disturbing factor.
Organic production is done on farms, individual households, family associations, agribusiness companies, and rarely in large agricultural associations and companies or holding. Organic products are obtained also in the aquatic environment, forest, and other natural systems.
Generally, many agricultural and agro-ecological farms are in small- or medium-sized category. At world level, the average surfaces for organic farms are within 0.5 and 3.0 ha range, and most of them cultivate only 1-3 different agricultural species.
All organic farms and agro-industrial societies undergo a longer or shorter conversion period, which is equal to the time between the start of ecological management and getting the certificate by the ecological farm or company.
Certification is provided by a national or international organization that is recognized by the International Accreditation Service International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and empowered to assess and guarantee in writing that its production or processing system is in compliance with the standards of organic agriculture.
The transition from conventional to organic farming is done step by step, in order to protect the economy from the shocks of decreases in productivity, and to allow producers to gain confidence in the ecological systems. Certification of these business units is made as soon as a part of their work meets the environmental standards and provided that the two systems (conventional and organic) are clearly separated both in documentation and in production.
With very few exceptions, organic farms are mixed, plant-animal type, on the one hand, to capitalize on higher crop and, on the other hand, to reuse as much of the nutrients extracted from the soil by plants grown. In this case, the structures of animal species and categories are determined by the potential of the farm and vegetable farming area, as well as the economic and financial resources (buildings and plant breeding, money) and the manpower (number of people, age, training) available in the farm.
Exceptions to this rule are organic vegetable farms and processing and marketing firms for semi-organic products. In such cases, the bulk of production is for direct human consumption (vegetables, fruits, canned vegetables and meats, cheeses, vegetables, and animal extracts); processing of the products is done with minimum consumption of energy, and this energy is, as far as possible renewable, sourced from animal manure (biogas), wind, and local fluid (residues and organic waste).
The activities of farms and agro-industrial companies are carried out according to international and national rules. Any deviation from these standards results in losses, including the loss of farm and the ecological society.
In organic farms and processing companies, all species and varieties of domesticated plants and animals are grown and processed, except those created by genetic engineering.
Farms and processing companies of organic product are using mostly own financial economics and social resources. Land, goods, and services of the agro-ecological units are mainly privately owned, and the funds are secured, for the most part, from its own resources. In countries with developed organic farming, a significant share of financial resources is provided by the state through a diversified mechanism of subsidies (exemption from taxes, production inputs, and additional expenses to conventional agriculture). The workforce consists of organic agro-industrial unit farmers or owners and close relatives.
Some farms and agro-industrial companies undertake labor from outside, also, but only for a determined period of time when the workload exceeds the skill and strength of the permanent employees.
The danger of a high level of weed and pest infestations due to absence of chemical treatments. Claude Aubert, one of the pioneers of organic farming, supports with scientific arguments that for organic farming "the genotype is more important than the whole technology".
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together experts from around the world, published on 6 April 2007 in Brussels a new report on the impact of global warming on people and the earth. This report is a readjustment of the report in 2001 and is recognized by 192 UN member states. The crucial passage of the new report indicates that "a drastic change in climate is expected if carbon concentrations in the atmosphere will reach 550 ppm (parts per million), which would cause a rise in temperature of about 3 degree Celsius. The main consequences of global warming are increasing ocean levels and extreme weather events (heat waves, droughts, floods, strong winds) that will bring major impacts like disappearance of animal and plant species, increasing human health risk, and inevitable demographic changes. Crop yields fluctuate from year to year, and this is being significantly influenced by climate variability and extreme weather events. Climate variability impacts all sectors of the economy, but agriculture remains the most vulnerable.
In Romania, from about 14.7 million ha of agricultural land, of which 9.4 million ha is arable land (64% of arable land), 7 million ha of agricultural surface (48%) soils are affected in different degrees by frequent droughts in most of the years and more than 6 million ha of agricultural land are affected by excess moisture in wet years. The extent and intensity of extreme weather events decrease annual agricultural production by at least 30-50%, and sustainable conservation of natural resources in agriculture is necessary to ensure scientific validity of all actions and measures to prevent and mitigate the consequences. Drought is a natural phenomenon caused by insufficient rainfall for meeting the crop requirements. The impact of drought is influenced by the severity of drought, physiological status of crop (including the development stage and cultivar adaptation) and soil properties.
The most severe effects are manifested especially on the rural population dependent on farming. Global climate changes as manifested by the increasing average temperature and change in rainfall regime have led, in recent decades, to an increase in drought-affected areas worldwide. In Romania, the areas most vulnerable to extreme drought are the south-eastern and Dobrogea, Baragan and southern areas of Oltenia, Muntenia, and Moldavia.
The term "desertification" refers to reduction or destruction of the biological potential of land that can lead to problems similar conditions in desert areas. Desertification includes the interaction of large-scale global climate dynamics, reflecting the general circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and climate physics of the earth's surface. It can be a result of the interaction of natural recurrence of droughty years with practice of irrational exploitation of the land, deforestation, and intensive grazing. Climatic data from the past century show a gradual warming of the atmosphere and a significant reduction in rainfall as limiting factors for crop growth and productivity and utilization of water resources. These changes can have significant impacts on growth and development of crops during the growing season, depending on the intensity of the disruptive factor, the manner and duration of action, and plant species vulnerability to extreme weather events during production.
Globally, according to studies, a significant warming in the coming decades is expected as a result of increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and significant changes in precipitation. The IPCC report (2001) estimated an increase in global average temperature from 1.4°C to 5.8°C by 2100, depending on the emission scenario, which is 2-10 times more pronounced compared to the current condition. The amount of rainfall will record a rise/fall trend of between 5% and 20% globally, with significant differences occurring especially at the regional level. It will also intensify the occurrence of extreme weather conditions (winter and summer extreme temperatures, droughts, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) with major consequences on the entire planetary ecosystem.
In Romania, projections of global scenarios for the period 1991-2099 as compared to the period 1961-1990 revealed an increase in the average air temperature of about 2°C during winter and 3.5°C to 4.3°C during summer (3.5°C and 4.3°C in the north and south, respectively). With regard to precipitation the expected changes are insignificant during summer and winter will be recorded water deficits. The northwest country regions are expected to become slightly wetter meanwhile the southwest and central regions will become drier.
In the twentieth century, global warming shows an annual average temperature rise of 0.3°C in almost the entire country, with the increase in temperature being more pronounced in the southern and eastern areas. Significant warming was experienced during winter and summer seasons (with Bucharest-Filaret being the most pronounced, 1.9°C), and significant cooling was found during fall in the western regions of the country.
Regarding the distribution of precipitation within year, there was a downward trend in the annual quantities especially in the central regions, and during the winter season, a decreased precipitation was observed in most regions, being more pronounced in the south and west.
Effects of global warming further include the following changes in the occurrence of meteorological phenomena in hot or cold season of the year: increased frequency of tropical days, decrease in the frequency of winter days, increasing average maximum temperature during winter and summer (up to 2.0°C in the south and southeast), significantly decreased thickness of snow in the Northeast and West, and increased annual production of winter atmospheric phenomena (frost, ice, frost).
Today, global climate change is associated with increased pollution, deforestation or changes in the landscape that caused an amplification on the process of aridization. As a result, some high-risk areas for drought tend to be affected by aridity and even by desertification (disappearance of vegetation cover and soil degradation). In our country, the high-risk territories for drought, with a tendency to be affected by aridity and desertification, include large areas of Dobrogea and southern Romanian Plain. These areas may be classified as areas most vulnerable to excessive and prolonged drought.
In the next decades, the implications of global warming in the industrial economy, water supplies, agriculture, and biodiversity will be very obvious. Globally, therefore, it has the effect of warming and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, especially droughts and floods. The causes that lead to these phenomena are evident about both climate and human interventions or wasteful use of land and water resources, inappropriate agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and air and soil pollution.
During extreme droughts, the current agricultural practices recommended are: fixing assortment of varieties and hybrids at the beginning of each crop year and the use of appropriate technology depending on soil water reserves from sowing; cultivating a greater number of varieties/genotypes with different growing season for better use of the climate conditions, especially moisture regime. Significant yield losses can be prevented through observance of recommended sowing period, irrigation or application of a minimum tillage system, utilization of varieties adapted phenologically to the new climatic conditions (in order to avoid the occurrence of critical phases as pollination and grain filling during the maximal stress periods) and better adapted physiologically to stress.
In the long term, the necessary measures for the prevention and mitigation of climate change include reforestation programs, reducing pollution, restoring and upgrading anti-erosion work, and expansion of the development and improvement of sandy soils, etc. At the same time, educating people and raising awareness on environmental protection are major requirements in developing adaptation strategies to climate change.
Solutions and recommendations for the development of actions and procedures to prevent and minimize the effects of climate variability in agriculture must include the already well-known whole complex of measures (agro-technical, cultural, irrigation, etc.) and carrying out swift action and intervention to limit the consequences and spatial extension of the affected area.
However, addressing issues related to climate change impacts requires specialized scientific data and analysis, risk management in agriculture mainly involving actions concerning the management and conservation of environmental resources, and making the right decisions in the right perspective.
NARDI-Fundulea has obtained an invaluable genetic basis with over 50 years of research experience. NARDI-Fundulea is the basic institution in Romania that provides the necessary seeds and parental lines of traditional culture system.
The requirements for sourcing germplasm to improve sunflower hybrids are becoming bigger and more important. The greater diversity is conserved, the more chances to meet the present and the future. Loss of genetic diversity or genetic erosion may occur as a result of many interrelated causes, such as socio-economic and agricultural, natural disasters such as epidemics, long periods of drought and floods, and even human contribution.
The collection, evaluation, and preservation of wild species of sunflower were done carefully and were the basic objectives of the scientific cooperation of the FAO Network Research Sunflower Sun. From its foundation in 1975 until today and in Vrânceanu's (2000) study , the main objective of improving the sunflower hybrid is said to be further improving productivity by increasing seed production and seed oil content. After seed production and oil content, the major objective of improvement is: genetic resistance to disease (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Phomopsis helianthi), parasite Orobanche sp, drought, and heat; with less attractively for birds were obtained.
The genetic materials used were seven inbred lines of sunflower obtained at the NARDI-Fundulea and wild H. argophyllus known as resistant to drought.
Two locations were chosen for organic testing: Stupina (Constanta), known as pole drought in Romania, and Fundulea (Calarasi county).
The breeding methods used were: interspecific hybridization (first year of experimentation), embryoculture to save interspecific embryo rescue backcross, self-pollination, and selection. Two generations/year worked in the field and in the greenhouse, as illustrated below.
As we have a lot of data from all the years of experimentation, we will present only the results obtained in 2014, which was an extremely dry year in terms of ecological culture of the Stupina. Some of the results were published in international journals, while others are in print.
Regarding drought tolerance, we deduced the parameters of productivity (weight/head, TKW, and oil content), which will be presented for each new genotype obtained.
Each "slash" code (for example 1/1/1...n) inside graphs represents a descendent from an initial interspecific hybrid that further was subject of the general breeding scheme (individual selection, self-pollination, back cross and new selection scheme). The labels Stupina1-Stupina3 and Fundulea1-Fundulea3 represent the number of repetitions per location.
From Figure 1, we can see great differences among some genotypes, even if they have the same lineage. In the same cross-breeding, it has been observed that every head is a distinct genetic entity. Therefore, the seed obtained from each phenotypically different head was seeded (three times/head) into one isolate plant/row.
Both lines (1/1/1 and 1/1/2) showed instability of seeds and head weights, both at Fundulea and at Stupina. For TKV, 1/1/1 in terms of Fundulea, showed some stability; the differences between the three plants are insignificant. For Stupina, although TKW values are reduced by approximately 50%, stable new lines show the three plants. In Figure 1, the same applies. Great unevenness and instability on seed production/head were observed. The fact that while seed production was low, except for plant Fundulea 1 (1/2/1), TKW recorded values were between 29 grams and 49 grams.
From Figure 4, one can see that the plant "Fundulea 3 (1/3/1)" progenies with a head weight of 70 grams at Fundulea and 38 grams at Stupina. The TKW for this genotype was the highest in both locations (49 grams).
Due to the very low values for both characters, in both locations, the genotypes 1/4/1 and 1/4/2 were not considered for the process of breeding for commercial hybrids (Figure 5).
In the extremely droughty conditions from Stupina, even the TKW and head weights were lower than in Fundulea they displayed a better uniformity.
From the hybridisation of line O-7493B with Argophyllus, 3 descendants with yield and oil content stability were selected: 3/1/1 (Figure 6); 3/2/1/ (Figure 7); and 3/4/2 (Figure 8). The seed weight of heads of these descendants varied between 73 and 120 grams/head at Fundulea and between 25 grams and 60 grams at Stupina. The oil content varied between 32% and 40% at Fundulea and between 39% and 44% at Stupina (Figure 9).
After hybridizations, self-pollination, backcrossing, and selection of descendants of the hybrid Tard/85-19982B X Helianthus argophyllus, we obtained 11 new lines with a very large variability for the studied characters.
Figure 11 shows that the weight of seeds/head in the case of line 11/1/1 was higher in the drought condition of Stupina. Therefore, the genotype "plant Stupina 2" achieved 72 g/head compared with "Fundulea 2" that produced only 40 g/head. Additionally, for the TKW character, this line proved to possess good adaptability to drought, reaching or exceeding the values obtained at Fundulea, where the weather conditions were closer to normal. Another descendent of this interspecific hybridization is the line 11/2/1 (Figure 12) that achieved through the genotype "plant Stupina 2" a seed yield per head of 90 g and a TKW of 59 g being the only line out of all the combinations that have proven under drought conditions such a performance. It is necessary to mention that the line Tard/85-19982B is known to be like an intensive line with high yield under good irrigation and fertilization. In this case, it is obvious that the resistance and adaptability to drought were transmitted from the wild species, due to the fact that agro-ecological selection field from Stupina was not irrigated, and no fertilizer was applied.
These two lines originating from this combination will be used to obtain commercial sunflower hybrids. For all other lines resulting from this combination, the breeding process will be continued through self-pollination and backcrossing, due to the fact that they represent a valuable biological material that can be further improved.
The inbred line 1093 B was considered by breeders as having a large ecological plasticity, and it is used in obtaining very valuable hybrids with resistance to plant diseases and Orobanche. In combination with Argophyllus, the results were spectacular. Even if the yield was very low under limited water conditions (Figure 17), the lines 13/5/1 and 13/5/2 proved a very good resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (at Fundulea) and bird atttack (at Stupina). It is necessary that at Stupina and under the agro-ecological management, there are enough tree windscreens were a lot of rooks and house sparrows are nesting and increasing very much their numbers. For the local farmers, these birds are source of damages not only for sunflowers but also for wheat and barley. This new line has the advantage that it is avoided by birds so even if the yield is low it is safe.
It is very important that together with the fulfillment of the main objective of the study (yield stability in water stress conditions in organic farming system), the results selection included achievements for biotic factors (resistance to Sclerotinia and Orobanche). Three genotypes with resistance to Orobanche in conditions of soil were identified, with a very high infestation with broomrape due to monoculture of sunflower for three years.
Under our experimental conditions, the genotypes with a longer vegetation period presented a better resistance to broomrape (Figures 20-21).
Some of the genotypes resulting from the interspecific hybridizations with H. argophyllus were not affect by the massive bird attacks from Stupina in 2014, when many farmers reported severe losses due to birds. This represents an important step in releasing sunflower hybrids with resistance or tolerance to this character (Figures 22-23).
In the conditions from Fundulea, in favorable year, a strong attack of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was recorded, and this was a good opportunity to find among the tested combinations the reactions ranging from being tolerant to being sensible to this pathogen (Figures 24-25).
Polet-11273B - obtained through hybridization backcross x androsterile line. Attack of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on stem, Fundulea (2014).


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Rattanakosin Island (, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east that were dug to serve as moats for what was originally the fortified city center. Situated on the eastern convex bank of a meander in the Chao Phraya River, the island is the site of the Grand Palace and Bangkok's City Pillar Shrine, among other places of historical significance.

History

King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) founded the city as the capital of his new Rattanakosin Kingdom in 1782.

Before Bangkok became the capital of Thailand, the capital city was Thonburi. The old city straddled the Chao Phraya, but was mainly settled on the western bank where the royal palace and other institutions were situated.  The eastern bank was mostly home to Chinese and Vietnamese (forced) settlers.

When Phutthayotfa Chulalok established himself as king, he re-established the capital on the eastern bank, relocating the prior settlers to the area between Wat Sam Pluem and Wat Sampheng. (The area is now Bangkok's Chinatown.) Fortifications were ordered to be rebuilt, and canals extended to form moats around the fortified city. The inner moat, created by connecting Rong Mai Canal and Talat Canal, is now known as Khlong Khu Mueang Doem (lit. old city moat canal).

Khlong Rop Krung (canal encircling city) was merged from Bang Lamphu and Ong Ang Canals. The area enclosed by Khlong Khu Mueang Doem and the river is referred to as Inner Rattanakosin, while Outer Rattanakosin refers to the originally less developed area between the two canals. Two further small canals known as Khlong Lot (tube/straw canal) connect the inner and outer moats.

See also
 History of Bangkok
 Fortifications of Bangkok

References

External links

Phra Nakhon district
Neighbourhoods of Bangkok
Populated places on the Chao Phraya River
River islands of Thailand
Historic districts in Thailand
Artificial islands of Asia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Personalised baby name hand embroidered rainbow wall art, perfect to hang in your little ones room, this would equally make for a great gift for a new baby !
The rainbow is hand embroidered using a selection of bright or pastel colours, you choose from the drop down menu. Its all set onto a neutral coloured fabric and off set in a round hoop. These hoops are very light weight and can easily hang from the frame itself or from some pretty ribbon. Would look great on a gallery style wall amongst other pieces in your child's room or just hang on their bedroom/playroom door.
►►Please leave the child's name in the 'Notes to Seller' section below. Please keep an eye on your email for any messages, should I need to contact you, thank you !


Despite forewarned gas and housing shortages, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response to Hurricane Sandy is commended by many as a marked improvement from 2005 Hurricane Katrina efforts. However, the Long Island Power Authority's (LIPA) failure to improve relief services after 2011's Hurricane Irene has received widespread criticism.
Oceanside resident Ariana Weitzman, whose apartment complex was under mandatory evacuation directly after the storm, had a mostly positive experience with FEMA's response to Hurricane Sandy, rating government assistance as "upper adequate to excellent." However, she did note that better coordination and better attention to victims' needs would have been a more effective use of donation money. For instance, the government was providing perishable food to displaced individuals who had nowhere to store it. Shovels, masks, and mold spray would have been much more useful. FEMA quickly offered assistance with ten days worth of hotel costs, but Ariana noted that finding a hotel within a reasonable distance was impossible.
Ariana expressed more discontent with the much-scrutinized LIPA. She and her mother went without power for 12 days.
Much of the frustration over relief efforts on Long Island has been directed at LIPA's overall response to Hurricane Sandy. With over 8,000 homes in Nassau, Rockaway, and Suffolk counties reportedly without power for over two weeks to date, the community's dissatisfaction of LIPA is understandable. LIPA released a statement Tuesday, reporting that electricity has been restored to 99 percent of customers who are currently eligible to receive power. According to LIPA, electricity cannot safely be restored to all areas because certain electricity panels were ruined by flooding. Those most affected by the hurricane must first make the necessary repairs to their homes before LIPA can restore power.
The widespread customer dissatisfaction with LIPA reveals their apparent failure to make the necessary improvements in time to prepare for Hurricane Sandy. Michael Hervey, COO of LIPA, announced his resignation on Tuesday amid the controversy. Hervey has served as COO of LIPA for 12 years. Given the unpredictable nature of natural disasters, federal and local providers must continually adapt to continually provide the best possible relief services.


Let me suggest an alternative history.
It wasn't so much that Netflix's Algorithm of Awesomeness sent You to the exact right viewers as much as it was that a "good" network was running a show whose aesthetic was more in line with the "Peak TV" aesthetic. Meaning I would not have been the least bit surprised if HBO, Hulu, Amazon, FX, or Showtime had achieved the same results.
And that speaks to a bigger problem for cable networks like Lifetime.
Now Lifetime actually has a niche: the general perception is that it makes the TV equivalent of "chick lit" for a mainstream audience. (All those "Lifetime Movies of the Week.") The further perception is that it primarily attracts an older female demo, many of whom have been loyal fans of the network since it launched 35 years ago, back when those viewers were still part of the "younger" female demo.
Other cable networks are not so lucky though, and that's going to be a problem in the years ahead.
That's at least $15 billion worth of new programming that's going to be shown with no or limited commercials.
That puts every single cable and broadcast network at a serious disadvantage, because their shows are going to have to be that much better in order to convince viewers to put up with a noticeably larger commercial load, many of them minute long monstrosities for DTC pharma brands.
There are hundreds of cable networks, the vast majority of them smaller and less well funded than Lifetime. They're the ones who are really going to struggle in this new world, because with so much "good" TV on, it's going to be harder than ever to capture viewer's attention.
And that likely means many of them will eventually go under.
Or, best case, be forced to reinvent themselves as VOD-only services, producing ten to fifteen hours of originals a week that are available to either MVPDs for their VOD services or to one or more of the Flixes for their ever-expanding libraries.
Cable networks with stronger identities can breathe a sigh of relief—CNN, HGTV, even the aforementioned Lifetime should all be safe (for now) because they have loyal core audiences that know the types of shows to expect from them and who watch those shows religiously, regardless of how many commercials pop up.
As for the Flixes, they're not going to have a walk in the park either.
With so much good TV and so few hours in a day, you can expect a Game of Thrones-style death match to grab and keep viewers, few of whom are going to subscribe to all eight or nine services.
It will be a wild time for the industry, but a very good one for consumers.
Just remember the importance of a good night's sleep.


When Dove invited us to try out their amazing baby Dove range, we knew we couldn't say no (who doesn't like Dove?) but, who knew just how much fun we'd have!
To showcase their Baby range this year, Dove decided to host an event in collaboration with Water Babies; the U.K's leading baby and toddler swim school.
Did you know a baby's skin not only loses water faster than that of an adult, but that it is also thinner, more sensitive, and has immature temperature control – making it more susceptible to diseases? It's for these reasons that Dove decided to develop a baby specific skin care range in order to help replenish skin moisture loss in tots, especially during fun activities like bath and swim time.
So, with the help of the Water Babies swim school we decided to put the science to the test!
Theon has suffered from cradle cap for as long as I can remember and although as he gets older it is starting to fade, high perfumed products do tend to irritate his scalp and the skin behind his ears and around his neck. We've also struggled over the past 18 months to find an effective nappy cream that not only acts as a barrier but also gently soothes any occasional nappy rash symptoms.
I was really glad to see that the products that we sampled were not only hypoallergenic and paediatrically approved, but that they were also free from perfumes and parabens. Which meant that when Theon decided to cheekily help himself to a bottle (or four) and lather up poolside, I didn't feel overly worried about letting him be the tactile toddler he is and try them for himself, absolutely tear free.
The 'Head To Toe Wash' makes bath time quick and hassle free and with its moisture lock, helps to retain the skins natural level of moisture.
Dove has always been a firm favourite of mine, for my skin, but I had never really considered using it for the baby. However, after seeing how well the range nurtured and protected Theon's skin (not a soggy bottom in sight), they're now definitely a family favourite for our home too.
We'd like to say a huge thank you to: Liz Fraser, The team at Baby Dove and the wonderfully patient instructors from Water Babies.


text:
Kuchinda College is a college located in Odisha, India.

Campus
Kuchinda College, established in the year 1964, is located in the city of Kuchinda, the seat of the eponymous subdivision in Sambalpur district in Odisha.

As of 2018, the principal of the college is Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra.

Departments
As of 2016, there are fifteen departments in Kuchinda College:
 Department of Botany
 Department of Chemistry
 Department of Commerce
 Department of Economics
 Department of Education
 Department of English
 Department of History
 Department of Information Technology
 Department of Logic & Philosophy
 Department of Mathematics
 Department of Odia
 Department of Physical Education
 Department of Physics
 Department of Political Science
 Department of Zoology

References

Universities and colleges in Odisha
Education in Sambalpur district
Educational institutions established in 1964
1964 establishments in Orissa


Very first, you voorwaarde ask yourself: what type of a beau are you hoping to meet te a talk slagroom? If you mean simply a boy you can talk with because you do not have many masculine perspectives ter your life, then this might be a good option. However, if you think you might be looking for romantic love ter a talk slagroom, earnestly, I would not take a talk slagroom that gravely. The Internet is a joy way to meet people who share your interests, but finding a beau te a talk slagroom should not be your main aim te life. If you go on a talk slagroom with the primary purpose of meeting studs, well it will showcase right away. The type of studs who are up for this opstelling are most likely looking for a casual relationship, but you might find a few serious ones along the way.В Just do not expect prince charming to be awaiting your arrival te the talk slagroom, spil he may have bot startled off by the bots. The question is: Why do you want to meet a bf ter a talk slagroom? Have you attempted online dating sites like Eharmony and match.com, which are actually geared towards meeting potential dates online? Maybe you could attempt plentyoffish.com if paying to date online is not your cup of tea. The bottom line is attempting to find a talk slagroom is not the easiest thing to do, but I do know some people who have found dates on thesis talk. One man dated a woman for six years he met on a talk slagroom, but this wasgoed before the days of Two.0 social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace.
Many of us hate kroegen and wij are certainly not social butterflies, so talk rooms would be a better place to meet fellows. The only problem with a talk slagroom is you will have to do more sleuthing to figure out who the person you are talking to truly is because it is much lighter to lie online, whereas ter person you can determine what a person looks like right away. If appearances are not significant to you then this may not matter, but do not expect a fellow you meet ter a talk slagroom to be six foot two just because he typed this on the screen. He can provide you with a picture, but both women and fellows are known to lie about their appearances online. Some even may send you an outdated picture, so if you are big on looks, the talk rooms and the Internet te militar may not be the best method for finding dates.
Also, another thing about talk rooms is that many users are not people, but bots. The bots will attempt to get you to visit a webpagina off of the talk slagroom, and often thesis sites are about hooking up or dating, and usually very adult oriented sites. This is okay if you love navigating through all the bots on a Yahoo or AIM talk slagroom to find the efectivo people, but it may take a few minutes to say the least.
Long distance relationships usually do not work out, well unless, you are interested te helping someone apply for a visa, and are willing to marry them so they can become a citizen ter your country. I actually chatted with a few guys a duo of years ago who were very sweet and genuine, or so I thought at the beginning. Overheen a duo of months they buttered mij up with compliments and then esplendor, one asked mij if I could sponsor him for a visa. Another time the man asked mij if I could send him money for a test. I also chatted with a man who bought a Russian woman a plane toegangsbewijs, but guess who wasgoed not on the plane when it landed? She very likely used the money to take hier friends out to refrigerio, and laughed at him for being trusting enough to fall for hier scam.
This is exactly how many guys and women have bot duped into sending people money via those scams that wij hear so much about on the netwerken. I have always bot able to step back and not fall for thesis type of scams myself, but a duo of years ago I do admit to being charmed by the things someone said to mij on the pc. When they asked for money it wasgoed overheen, but it is a verdadero thing to be aware of when dating people you meet on a talk slagroom. Yes there is such a thing spil cyber dating, and people can often spend more time movie talking with each other then some couples do on ter rendezvous.
Many of us introverts do not lightly meet people te person, so the Internet has bot a way to meet potential dates. Unless you have a large circle of friends and can always ask people to set you up, then dating te person can be hard. Online dating is not for losers or social outcasts spil many portrayed it to be te years past, but it does take a longer time to meet potential dates online. I personally do not think a talk slagroom is the best place to meet potential dates, but overheen the years I have met some good friends this way. My very good Australian friend who I love talking to overheen three years, well I met him on a Myspace talk slagroom. Today Myspace does not even host talk rooms, which shows more and more thesis are being displaced with the fresh social media. You can still meet friends on talk rooms today, but contending with all the bots is not exactly my cup of tea.
Of course it would be nice to meet a man te person at Starbucks, but many of us women are not just going to go up to random guys and ask them out. Many boys would not want to do that either, so te this case the Internet is a good alternative for those who do not have a large pool of potential dates ter their day to day life. I would just caution using the talk rooms, and regard thesis spil more of a way to meet international friends than dates. Often you can still meet nave guys on the more localized talk rooms, but ter this day te age those talks are firmer to find.В Attempt to meet friends of friends through Facebook, or attempt to connect with locals through Myspace.В Does anyone have a blessed everzwijn after talk slagroom story to share?В Wij would be very interested to hear one.
Sadly this means that the profiles you see might not be a paid user of the webpagina and subsequently mean your time and effort is misplaced.
Next story So last year I signed up for a fresh account again.
Previous story Online dating is one of technologies fresh advances.


What's so important about my business lighting?
Lighting in commercial buildings can use up to 40% of its total electricity consumption, which significantly affects how much energy an organisation consumes and how much it costs to keep the lights on.
Replacing older less efficient lighting with newer more energy efficient lighting is one of the cheapest and an easiest ways to reduce your organisations energy consumption from lighting and save money.
When combined with upgrades to lighting controls, the impact can be even greater. Using motion sensor switches, occupancy sensors and light level sensors you can ensure that any working space is suitably lit for the minimum amount of time possible, reducing your electricity costs and optimising the working lighting conditions.
Replacing old lighting with more efficient LED lighting will help your business increase its profitability and reduce its carbon footprint.
We offer Energy Audits and Lighting Surveys to help you find the most energy efficient and best suited lighting technologies and controls for your site.
Our expert energy and lighting surveyors will ensure that you comply with all applicable building regulations and health and safety legislation related to lighting in order to achieve the best results for your business.
We also offer financial support to help your business make the change towards more energy efficient and suitable lighting for your business premises.


The experts at Wrucks Carpet One Floor & Home are here to help you take your kitchen or bathroom from boring to custom with backsplash tile. The perfect kitchen or bathroom requires a lot of planning from the flooring to the walls. A commonly looked over option when updating a kitchen or bathroom is tile backsplash. Originally, backsplash tile was a means to keep kitchen messes under control, but today it has become the center piece of most remodels and allows you to add a touch of your personality to your space.


This Policy sets out details of the standard technical support services provided by RedJade Sensory Solutions, LLC to its RedJade Clients.
RedJade users may request support by submitting a Support Ticket within the RedJade application or via email to support@redjade.net.
RedJade Help Desk Support will automatically send a response acknowledging receipt of the Support Ticket and place the Support Ticket into the RedJade technical support queue.


text:
About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War
Contact us to order a copy!
The Courage to Resist book, About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War from PM Press (Aug 2011) features the voices from our audio project with exclusive interviews with Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg discussing the history of GI resistance from the Vietnam War to Bradley Manning and the current WikiLeaks revelations.
How does a young person who volunteers to serve in the U.S. military become a war-resister who risks ostracism, humiliation, and prison rather than fight? Although it is not well publicized, the long tradition of refusing to fight in unjust wars continues today within the American military.
In this book, resisters describe in their own words the process they went through, from raw recruits to brave refusers. They speak about the brutality and appalling violence of war; the constant dehumanizing of the enemy—and of our own soldiers—that begins in Basic Training; the demands that they ignore their own consciences and simply follow orders. They describe how their ideas about the justification for the current wars changed and how they came to oppose the policies and practices of the U.S. empire, and even war itself. Some of the refusers in this book served one or more tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and returned with serious problems resulting from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Others heard such disturbing stories of violence from returning vets that they vowed not to go themselves. Still others were mistreated in one way or another and decided they'd had enough. Every one of them had the courage to say a resounding "NO!" The stories in this book provide an intimate, honest look at the personal transformation of each of these young people and at the same time constitute a powerful argument against militarization and endless war.
Also featured are exclusive interviews with Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg. Chomsky looks at the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the potential of GI resistance to play a role in bringing the troops home. Ellsberg relates his own act of resistance in leaking the Pentagon Papers in 1971 to the current WikiLeaks revelations of U.S. military secrets.
What people are saying about About Face
"About Face gives us important insights into the consciences of women and men who volunteer for the military but find they cannot obey orders to fight in illegal wars. These are brave and loyal Americans who are willing to challenge the U.S. government and perhaps go to jail rather than betray their inner voices that say NO to these wars!" —Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army colonel and diplomat who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq, author of DISSENT: Voices of Conscience
"About Face pulls down the veil of what honorable service in today's U.S. military really means. When new soldiers swear to support and defend the U.S. Constitution by following lawful orders, what are they to do when they are given unlawful orders? About Face provides raw examples of precisely what soldiers are doing who take their oath seriously." —Dahr Jamail, author of The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan
"During this time of war it is vital that every American take a moment to listen to the first-hand accounts of those who have served on the front lines and those who refuse to fight." —Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans
"It was a privilege to read this book. As a veteran, it was especially meaningful to me because I know some of the participants personally. It certainly opened my eyes and heart to their struggle. I know that it will have the same impact to everyone who reads it. It is especially compelling because it gives a wonderful cross-section of veterans in their struggle with the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars." —Dennis Lane, former executive director, Veterans for Peace
"This book documents the resistance of American heroes—resistance to illegal wars, to immoral wars, and to government secrecy, that threaten the very foundation of our democracy. A must-read for every American." —Marjorie Cohn, co-author, Rules of Disengagement: The Politics and Honor of Military Dissent
Buff Whitman-Bradley, a long-time peace and social justice activist, has been working with Courage to Resist since 2003. He has been a member of the CtR organizing collective, and was the originator and producer of the Courage to Resist Audio Project. He is also a member of ¡Presente! a non-violent direct action affinity group actively opposing war and empire. He has worked for many years as a professional writer and editor, authored and edited educational books and materials, non-fiction books for children, and books of poetry. He has co-produced and directed two documentary films, Por Que Venimos, and with his partner Cynthia, an award-winning documentary about visitors to death row, Outside In.
Sarah Lazare is a writer and organizer in the U.S. anti-war and GI resistance movement, as a member of The Civilian-Soldier Alliance and Courage to Resist. She is also a co-organizer of the "Dialogues Against Militarism" U.S. war resister delegation to Palestine/Israel, to show support for Israeli youth refusing to join the military and Palestinians resisting occupation. Sarah is active in economic and social justice organizing in the U.S. and seeks to connect domestic struggles for justice and liberation with global movements against U.S. war and empire. She is also an independent journalist, writing articles for publications ranging from The Nation to Truthout to Al Jazeera English.
Cynthia Whitman-Bradley has been a member of Courage to Resist since 2003 and served on the organizing collective from 2003 to 2009. As one of the members of the affinity group, ¡Presente!, she has participated in many direct actions to stop the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. With her partner, Buff Whitman-Bradley, she co-produced the documentary, Outside In, which tells the stories of those who visit condemned prisoners on California's death row. She is a former elementary school and preschool teacher and currently supports women during childbirth as a birth doula.
Editors: Buff Whitman-Bradley, Sarah Lazare, and Cynthia Whitman-Bradley
Publisher: PM Press
Size: 8 by 5
Subjects: Politics, War, Activism
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NextParty for Bradley Sept. 9th and 10th
Harvey	on December 9, 2015 at 1:36 pm
this seems outdated, talking about a "coming preview" of the book that was published over four years ago in September 2011!
Because of this, I hesitate to contribute or get otherwise involved.
Melissa Keith	on December 11, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Hi Harvey-
On the internet, you're able to read posts from back in time! Yes, it's true! You've stumbled on an article published four years ago in 2011… kind of makes sense now that it's talking about a book coming out 2011, doesn't it? For articles from today, in this year, please visit the Courage to Resist home page.
Harvey Siederbaum	on December 20, 2015 at 10:29 am
Thanks for responding, I did recently get a direct mail offer from Courage to Resist to receive the book for a donation which I made. Although I just got it I am very impressed by what I've read so far, and will definitely continue to support the brave and important work done by Courage to Resist and others in this regard!
The Scourge of War and The Children of Vietnam – Counter Information - […] ABOUT FACE: Military Resisters Turn Against War, Editors: Buff Whitman-Bradley, Sarah Lazare, and Cynthia Whitman-Bradley, PM Press, 2011. […]
"Courage To Resist accomplishes one part of this program of resistance by speaking for and defending the brave souls in the military who do not wish to be part of the perfidy of this administration. It behooves us to do all we can to support Courage To Resist with money and with spine."
-Edward Asner, actor & activist

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Emerging wireless and cellular 5G technologies are bringing a new level of connectivity to cars and enabling many applications to support safety, efficiency, and Internet access. Connectivity is a natural complement to other kinds of automotive sensors that are also being integrated in vehicles. Communication allows vehicles to exchange what they see and allows vehicles to expand their sensing range thus making better automated decisions. While state-of-the-art radar and communication technology is quickly making its way to the validation and production test floors, engineers and scientists are actively working on innovative ideas to better understand how automated cars will better interact with non-automated objects on the road, drive synergy between vehicular radar and communications, and design wide bandwidth radars capable of resolving very short distances. To bring these technologies to market, the automotive industry needs to leverage a software-centric platform-based approach that helps accelerate the design, characterization, and test phases.
Wireless communication is bringing a new level of connectivity to cars. With wireless, cars may communicate with each other directly in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mode, or through the infrastructure in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) mode. There are many applications of connectivity to support safety, transportation efficiency, and of course Internet access. Connectivity is a natural complement to other kinds of automotive sensors that are being integrated in vehicles.
Vehicular connectivity has been investigated for at least twenty years. The de facto approach is dedicated short range communication (DSRC). This technology is envisioned primarily as a means for exchanging basic safety messages, though it also has some applications in traffic management. DSRC supports both V2V and V2I. After nearly 20 years of development, DSRC is now available in some US cars, though wide use will probably not been seen without a government mandate.
Automated vehicles come in many flavours, depending on the level of automation. At one extreme is no automation, where the driver is in full control. At the other extreme, the vehicle is in complete control and there are no controls for any human assistance. At levels in between, certain driving functions are automated but the human may still be in charge. For example, in a lower level of automation, the driver may be warned about a potential forward collision. In a higher level of automation, the car may automatically apply the brakes and may also take evasive action to avoid the collision. While fully automated driving is often called "autonomous driving," it is unlikely that full automation can happen simultaneously with full autonomy, which implies no communication. The reason is that fully automated high-speed driving is difficult without communication of high resolution map data.
Connectivity is a critical component of vehicle automation because it enhances the sensing range of vehicles. Sensors being deployed for automation including automotive radar, visual cameras, and LIDAR. Radar is used for automatic cruise control, forward collision warning, lane change assistance, parking, and pre-crash applications. Visual cameras are used for safe backups, monitoring blind spots, nap prevention, and lane keeping. LIDAR provides high resolution 3D map information that can be used for autonomous navigation, as well as pedestrian and bicycle detection. All three technologies are important for fully automated vehicles. For example, Tesla uses visual cameras for automated highway driving while Google cars make heavy use of LIDAR and 3D map data for accurate driving and navigation, and several radars to aid in the detection of other vehicles. The range of each technology depends on its configuration and the deployment scenario. For example, in rural areas, radar may achieve 200m, LIDAR 35 m, and visual cameras 30m, but in urban areas, the range of all these technologies diminishes to a few meters due to obstruction by other vehicles. Essentially, these external sensors are limited by what they can see. Communication allows vehicles to expand their sensing range by leveraging what can be seen by other vehicles in the front, back, or sides.
Mixed-use environments where vehicles have different levels of automation and communication remains a challenge. One approach is to deploy sensing at the base station, for example radar, visual cameras, or LIDAR. Then the information derived from sensors can be broadcast to connected vehicles, giving them situational awareness about non-connected vehicles, and non-vehicular users of roadways. The infrastructure based approach has the advantage that it works well even if most other vehicles do not have communication capability. Infrastructure will also make higher levels of automation more effective, for example to coordinate interactions of vehicles through intersections without the need for traffic lights. This infrastructure-based sensing will likely be built around 5G cellular communications, since they aim to provide much higher data rates.
At present there is tremendous interest in the automotive use case for 5G. Applications include vehicular automation, transportation planning and operations, and of course infotainment. 5G will support 10x lower latencies and 10x higher bandwidths than 4G solutions making it especially suitable for automotive applications. In particular, millimetre wave 5G is especially attractive because of very high data rates, which can be used for the exchange of raw sensor data. Millimetre wave for automotive applications is one of several ongoing research topics at The University of Texas at Austin. Other topics include the co-design of communication and radar, the use of low frequency communication signals as a low-cost means of automotive radar, and the use of sensing-based infrastructure to aid millimetre wave communication.
Typical engineering projects go through phases of design, characterisation, and test. These phases are typically disjoint, with different tools and techniques used in each. To drive development efficiency in each phase and rapid transition to the next, NI provides a platform-based approach, which reduces barriers between each phase with a unifying environment based on common, well-integrated hardware and software components. At the heart of NI's platform is LabVIEW software. This platform based approach accelerates productivity and reduces time spent in each phase.
Design: Engineers and scientists around the world are exploring different connectivity and sensing technologies, at a variety of carrier frequencies, and with different bandwidths. Exploring synergies between vehicular radar and communications requires understanding design tradeoffs made at MAC and PHY layers. To enable rapid prototyping for radar and communications systems, a platform must provide extremely high data transfer and processing capabilities, especially to enable a prototype that operates in real time in real world conditions. To provide these capabilities, a platform must have fast parallel cores, high-speed bus for data transfers, and/or support FPGA processing capabilities, and of course support for advanced signal processing techniques. Based on underlying hardware that provides these high performance capabilities, the LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite (Figure 2) is a software environment that brings together discrete research, development and deployment steps within a single tool. This software suite tightly integrates with software defined radio hardware, including one with a programmable FPGA. The LTE and 802.11 Application Frameworks, included with the LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite, provide ready to run, easily modifiable real-time physical layer (PHY) reference designs based on the LTE and 802.11 wireless standards. These application frameworks provide a substantial starting point for researchers to find ways to improve the LTE and 802.11 standards. Some example research includes exploring brand-new algorithms and architectures that can support the tremendous increase of the number of terminals, inventing new waveforms by which to modulate and demodulate the signals, or finding new multi-antenna architectures that fully exploit the degrees of freedom in the wireless medium.
To support design of ultra-wide bandwidth radar sensors, the NI AWR Design Environment platform, specifically Visual System Simulator (VSS), offers a complete software solution that enables engineers to design the right system architecture and formulate suitable specifications for such sensors.
Characterisation: Radar systems play a critical role in the reliability and safety aspects of autonomous vehicles. Additionally, auto makers and radar sensor manufacturers will need to continuously innovate on features to maintain their competitive edge in the market place and meet the evolving regulatory landscape. Unfortunately, the traditional approach of creating a fixed-function instrument crafted to measure and test a specific category of scenarios is not scalable. To truly increase the scope of coverage, one cannot only rely on simulation, but rather directly with real-world hardware and real-world signals. NI LabVIEW and the NI PXIe-5646R Vector Signal Transceiver provide this flexibility through its software designed architecture as shown in Figure 3 below. Engineers can program the FPGA on this device to emulate different types of static and mobile single and multi-point targets using the integrated RF and off-the-shelf millimetre wave radio heads.
NYU recently announced a 5G prototype and channel sounding system based on NI LabVIEW based software defined radio platform for the development and validation of mmWave systems. [http://wireless.engineering.nyu.edu/millimeter-wave-5g-prototype-and-channel-sounder/]. The automotive industry also needs to invest and build a mmWave channel sounding system to fully characterise and understand channel impacts on vehicular communications. This includes, but is not limited to, impact of blockage by vehicles, especially if the receive and transmit vehicles are in different lanes and to study whether rays reflected off other neighbouring cars can provide good secondary path alternatives to the blocked line of sight path. If such reflectors can be used, traditional sensing technologies could be used to provide locations of potential reflectors and can be used for targeted beam formation.
Test: Because automated driving, and the components that enable it, is a safety-relevant function, these systems undergo mandatory and complex test and validation processes. To meet the challenges of such processes, an engineer must have the ability to evaluate a wide variety of scenarios throughout the design and implementation phases of the communication application and electronics. An open, modular platform is essential to provide flexibility and adaptability to meet the myriad conditions that may be encountered.
As commercially available 802.11p stacks do not easily allow failure injection on protocol level or do normally not provide access to internal logic S.E.A. Datentechnik GmbH has developed an extended 802.11p protocol stack (MAC and PHY) based on the NI platform. This protocol stack provides a full software interface (API) for LabVIEW.
The system provides processing of raw packets with exact time stamps containing all data that is send on the MAC layer. The transmission of data packets the air to the DUT can be controlled at precise points in time. This allows excellent synchronisation with other signals synthesised by the test system such as GPS, Radar or LIDAR sensor signals, or vehicular data. Received data packages from the DUT are time stamped and available in LabVIEW for further processing.
The Danlaw Mx-DSRC product tests interoperability and conformance of a DSRC module in an integrated vehicle environment (simulated or real), including vehicle bus and 802.11 physical layers, and DSRC communication testing to IEEE1609.4, 1609.3 and 1609.4, and performance level testing such as J2945/1. Key to testing DSRC operation is confirming the quality of the RF link and the adherence to the various standards that define it. Andrew Donaldson, Program Manager, says that Danlaw selected National instruments to provide the RF test capability; the NI WLAN Test Suite and underlying PXI based test system provides all of the features required to fully test the RF capabilities of the DSRC device under test.
Emerging wireless and cellular 5G technologies are bringing a new level of connectivity to cars and enabling many applications to support safety, efficiency, and Internet access. Engineers and scientists are actively working on innovative ideas to better understand how automated cars will better interact with non-automated objects on the road, drive synergy between vehicular radar and communications, and design wide bandwidth radars capable of resolving very short distances. The NI platform-based approach, with a software centric platform based on highly integrated software and hardware, accelerates design, characterisation and test phases, helping engineers to bring innovative ideas to market faster that will enhance driver experience and drive reliability into autonomous cars.


What is sacred in your life?
I'm asking this question because the word "sacred" has been used a lot during the last two months in American culture, and it has me asking a few questions, "What is truly sacred?" What do you personally hold with supreme value in your life? What is sacred to your family? What is sacred to us as a church? What is sacred to us as citizens of the United States?
Now, whenever I preach I feel like I should say at least something about the Bible. The Bible uses the term "sacred" in primarily two different ways. First, it reveals the human tendency to identify material objects or places as sacred. These are sacred objects you possess. They belong to you or to your group. These objects could include people, buildings, land, and other items.  We associate supreme value in objects we possess and once we possess the object, we don't want to share it with others, certainly not with strangers, for that would contaminate our sacred object. Unfortunately, this view of the sacred leads to violence, because we don't want to share. Some call this "sacred violence." The curious thing about this, is that the more value we associate with our sacred object, the more likely others will associate the object as sacred and want to take it from us. We see this today – everything from young people fighting over shoes or ipods, to adults fighting over inheritance or property, to nations fighting over the right to develop nuclear weapons. Soon, the fight over sacred objects in no longer about the object, but about winning the power struggle and defeating the other.
Here, God identifies the truly sacred. And do you see how God does it? Humankind is in the image of God. Genesis does not give us a view of humanity that says, "Only we are created in the image of God." No, for Genesis, this is universal. God bestows this sacredness upon every human being.
But that's not what the author wrote. Instead, the author was able to overcome this painful experience. We would understand if the author and this community remained bitter and resentful. The author and the author's community were able to begin the process of healing and forgiveness, thus, they were able to say that everyone, even the Babylonians, everyone is created in the image of God. They were committed to seeing the sacred image of God in their fellow human beings, not because they associate others with the sacred, not because they liked or disliked others, but because God bestows all people with this sacred quality. This theological statement, that God bestows all humans with this sacred quality, has ethical implications. It matters how we treat our fellow human beings, even, as Jesus says, those we call our enemies. This universal view of the sacred leads us away from idolatry and sacred violence. Rather, it opens us up to living an alternative way of life. Following our passage from Hebrews, we might call this alternative way the spirit of Sacred Hospitality.
But Bible doesn't stop with seeing the sacred only in our fellow humans. Over and over again the Bible makes the claim that the sacred is not isolated in a particular geographical location or building, such as Land or a Temple. The truly sacred cannot be contained in any location. For example, when King Solomon built the Temple, he recognized the futility and idolatry of trying to isolate the sacred in a building. Solomon says about God, "The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"  And the prophet Isaiah also critiqued the idea of isolating the sacred to property or land, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  Here we see again that the sacred is universal and meant to be shared by all.
Now, to us, hospitality may simply mean inviting some friends and family members over for a night of entertainment. But that's not quite what our passage this morning from Hebrews has in mind. The passage starts by saying, "Let mutual love continue." It's important to know that when the Bible uses the word love, it doesn't refer to positive feelings about another. No, for the Bible, and especially for this passage in Hebrews, love is a verb. It is an action. For example, our passage goes on to say, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." The key word here is "strangers." Think about that. It's challenging. I mean, strangers may be angels, but they may not be. This love is not about security; rather it's a risky love that makes us vulnerable to the other, to the stranger. This love actively seeks the well being of the other, who may be a stranger, or as Jesus teaches, may even be our enemy.
I admit that this is not easy. As much as I would like to believe with Genesis that all people are created in the image of God, and believe with Hebrews that this image means that all deserve some form of hospitality, it can be very hard to believe this. Hebrews refers here to the story of Abraham and Sarah, who invited three strangers into their midst and cared for them. Later they discovered the strangers were angels who came to bless them. I like that story. But, to be honest, I'm often afraid of strangers. I'm suspicious that they are not out to bless, but to curse. We even tell our children, "Don't talk to strangers." It's good advice for children, but reveals our cultural fear of those we do not know.
Fear of the unknown is nothing new. When the author of Hebrews wrote nearly 2000 years ago, his audience also feared the unknown. That's why he had to make the point, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers." There are plenty of excuses to not show hospitality to strangers. The greatest excuse might be fear. And fear tends to build upon itself. We judge strangers before we even meet them. It's easy for our imaginations to run wild when we hear rumors and accusations against people we don't know. But Hebrews points to something greater: it points to faith. Not a faith that God will protect us from all danger, but faith that living in the spirit of love and sacred hospitality is the best response to a world that is so often run by the spirit of idolatry, fear, and sacred violence.
I can't help but think about how this relates to our contemporary situation in the United States. Our passage from Hebrews this morning challenges us to live into the spirit of mutual love that leads to sacred hospitality. Yet, much of our culture seems to insist on mutual hostility, suspicion, and resentment. So much of the language on television, in our political discourse, and in our religious discourse is becoming more and more extreme and leading us toward the spirit of hostility and sacred violence.
What concerns me the most over the last few months is the very inhospitable way many have been talking about Muslims and the way our culture is dealing with the "Mosque at Ground Zero." Some are making the extreme accusation that all Muslims are Nazi extremists out to conquer the world. This is scapegoating and it betrays the millions of Muslims living peacefully and productively in the West. These extreme accusations allow us to conveniently project our own cultural extremism onto another culture, which naturally leads to growing hostility and resentment on both sides. Take the "Mosque at Ground Zero" controversy. Even the way our culture has falsely titled this controversy leads us to mutual hostility, suspicion, and resentment. The cultural center is not at Ground Zero, it's two blocks away. What many are saying is that, "Muslims Americans are not really Americans. They are second class citizens. We have identified this ground as sacred to us. Not only this specific ground, but we're going to arbitrarily say that two blocks away from this ground is also sacred. We don't care that there is a Gentleman's club a block form the proposed site! They can't use it!" Do you see what's happening here? This is idolatry leading to exclusion and sacred violence. I can understand the impulse to exclude others. I get it. It's understandable, it may even be natural. But for people trying to follow Jesus in our modern context, it's sinful. That's another bad word for us mainline liberal protestants. But it simply refers to actions that cut us off from our fellow human beings. Actions that lead us away from the spirit of mutual love and toward a spirit of fear, hostility, and sacred violence. The Bible warns us that idolatry leads to sacred violence. And we see that violence happening. Verbal violence against Muslims is prevalent, but physical and emotional violence has also begun. A taxi driver was stabbed this last week for simply being a Muslim and doing his job. A church in Florida plans burn thousands of Qur'ans on 9/11. Frank Rich of the New York Times cites sources and claims that "Existing or proposed American mosques hundreds, even thousands of miles from ground zero, from Tennessee to Wisconsin to California, are now under siege." This is not about ground zero or even really about a cultural center. This is a cultural power struggle that leads us into a spirit of hostility. There are many who don't want us to see the image of God in our Muslim neighbors, but would have us believe Islam and Muslims are evil. This accusation cuts us off from our Muslim neighbors. Once we fall under the spell of this myth, we will never encounter the Muslim angels living in our midst. This will lead us down a dangerous road. And, if I may have a light moment here, anyone who has been married for more than three weeks knows that, in the end, nobody really wins a power struggle.
But there is hope. Maybe the best response we can make as followers of Jesus to this controversy is to say, "Of course you can build an Islamic Cultural Center there. Not only can you build it, but we will help you." If we can't make it to New York, followers of Jesus could go to local mosques that may be under siege and stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors. If local mosques are not under siege, maybe followers of Jesus could go to a mosque, talk with Muslims, learn from them, and tell them we stand with them during this time. I'm sure you can come up with better ideas.
Still, the hope that I find is in the Gospel. For it calls us to be an alternative to the sacred violence that surrounds us. We see that alternative here in Hebrews. Hebrews invites us to be courageous and take risks. To be courageous and extend the hand of mutual love in the spirit of sacred hospitality. For in doing so, we may shake the hand of angels. Or, our hand may get slapped. Either way, the world, maybe now more than ever, needs to be shown the spirit of mutual love and sacred hospitality.
May we the church live in that spirit.
 Such as a golden calf – Exodus 32.
 Technically, they are not Jews yet. The people known as Jews came about after the destruction of the Temple in 70CE. These people were exiled from Judah, so many have called them Judahites. That's cumbersome for a 21st century sermon, so I've decided to use the term Jews.


text:
Ettore Felici (12 March 1881, Segni – 9 May 1951) was the second Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.

Early life
Born in Segni on March 4, 1881, Felici was ordained priest in 1903, he began his diplomatic career as a minor official at the Apostolic Nunciature to Serbia in Belgrade. Here he assumed much greater responsibility after Serbia was plunged into war in 1914. As a majority Serbian Orthodox Church at war with Catholic Austria relations were often tense. After the country was occupied by German troops Felici also occupied his time with relief works. He remained at the nunciature in Belgrade after the war when Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

From 1921 to 1923 he was in the Vatican.

In 1927 he was consecrated titular archbishop of Corinth and named Apostolic Nuncio to Chile.

In 1938, he returned to Yugoslavia as Nuncio. In April 1941 he was in Belgrade when the Luftwaffe bombed the city before the Axis invasion (Operation retribution) after a coup against the government that entered a pact with the Axis. Due to the military situation he was recalled to the Vatican and spent the remainder of the war working in the Secretariat of State.

On 2 September 1949, Felici was appointed Nuncio to Ireland. After a brief illness he died on May 9, 1951, and his body was interred in the crypt of Dublin's pro-cathedral.

References

1881 births
1951 deaths
People from Segni
Apostolic Nuncios to Ireland
Latin archbishops of Corinth


On Point Motorsports officials announce that driver Brennan Poole has joined the organization for the 2019 season. Poole will pilot the teams No. 30 Toyota Tundra in a full schedule as the duo take aim at a run for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Championship.
Poole, one of racing's top young talents, is coming off two successful campaigns in the NASCAR XFINITY Series where he competed in the Championship Playoffs finishing eighth and sixth in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons respectively. Unfortunate circumstances sidelined him for the majority of the 2018 season and he looks to rebound with a strong showing in 2019 with the No. 30 Toyota Tundra.
On Point Motorsports is a fairly new team in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series but one that is deep with NASCAR experienced personnel. The team made five starts in the NGOTS in 2018 with strong performances with drivers Scott Lagasse, Jr., Jeb Burton and Austin Theriault. The organization also fields a part-time effort in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards with the No. 29 Toyota Camry.
Poole has 83 career starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series to his credit earning eight Top-5 and 36 Top-10 finishes, a pole, and three previous starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. The Texas native also has 35 career starts in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards highlighted by six wins. The driver known as "The Bull" looks to utilize all of this experience to his advantage as he makes a Championship run with On Point Motorsports.
This dynamic duo of driver and team will kick things off with the season opening NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series event at Daytona International Speedway. The running of the NextEra Energy Resources 250 will be on Friday, February 15 and will be broadcast live on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).