text:
G20 countries are not prepared for the needs of ageing populations, according to new research from the Economist Intelligence Unit
The US ranks the highest globally in creating an enabling environment supportive of longevity and healthy ageing with an overall score of 76.1 out of a possible 100
Canada (3rd) and Brazil (11th) score above the global average of 50.4, while Argentina (13th) and Mexico (14th) have further room to improve their response
Countries with the oldest populations are better positioned to address the needs of older people across the globe
Although high-income countries are more prepared, upper middle-income countries such as Brazil are making clear progress
Older people's views are not well represented in policy consultation
Availability of health and social care remains a concern with supply of services increasingly failing to keep up with demand
More people are living into old age than ever before. In 2018 The World Health Organization predicted that by 2020 there would be more people aged over 60 years than there are children under 5 years. This prediction is on track to be correct, and numbers in the older cohort continue to rise.. This has created challenges in providing health and social services for burgeoning older populations and governments across the globe have been slow to react. Priorities are now shifting from solely addressing the health of older people, to how societies can maximise this opportunity and provide effective, inclusive environments in which to age.
This report from The Economist Intelligence Unit describes findings from the "Scaling Healthy ageing, Inclusive environments and Financial security Today" (SHIFT) Index", a benchmarking analysis around ageing societies, supported by Amgen. The SHIFT Index benchmarks against a set of national-level leading practices in creating an enabling environment supportive of longevity and healthy ageing for societies in the 19 countries comprising the Group of Twenty (G20). The SHIFT Index captures the multifactorial variables that impact ageing across three domains: adaptive health and social care systems; accessible economic opportunity; and inclusive social structures and institutions.
The research found that no G20 country is fully prepared to support healthy, financially secure, socially-connected older people. The US, Australia, Canada and South Korea ranked highest in our index with scores in the 70s out of 100 (see table below). Broadly, those countries with a higher proportion of people aged over 50—including the three highest ranking countries plus South Korea, Germany, France and Japan—are implementing more leading practices to enable inclusive environments. Wealthy countries may find it easier to respond, but wealth is not a prerequisite for providing supportive environments. The best scoring health systems tend to be high-income countries, but upper-middle income Brazil, and lower-middle income Indonesia are also making strides to improve health systems.
As a whole, the G20 countries perform best in providing adaptive healthcare systems and worst in providing inclusive social structures and institutions, indicating that countries still have work to do to shift the focus towards building more welcoming societies for older adults as they age. Countries also have room to improve in providing more accessible economic opportunities to older workers.
Despite clear progress made, governments have more work to do to make sure their health systems are adaptive to the needs of older adults as they age, while also fostering inclusion and ensuring individual economic security. A key barrier to addressing this is lack of robust age-disaggregated data collection by governments in areas such as dedicated health professionals, the extent of isolation and loneliness as well as mental health.
The SHIFT Index reveals several priority areas that may form the basis of policy responses to develop more accessible and inclusive societies for older people:
Collect better data: Countries should collect and publish detailed, age-disaggregated health and economic data annually so policymakers can develop evidence-based programs and policies.
Address poverty among older people: Some older adults choose to work longer, others must. Governments can ensure the financial health and security of older adults by creating more inclusive work environments. This starts with removing barriers to working longer that exist in some markets.
Prevent a care crisis among the elderly: The provision of care for older adults—both formal and informal—and the accessibility of, or access to, long-term care is ill-defined and is an area for further research.
Enable older people's voices to be heard: The views and needs of older people are not routinely collected and they are not represented well in policy consultation.
Address age-related discrimination: Few countries categorise age-discrimination as a crime outside of employment practices. Fighting discrimination as well as physical, emotional and financial abuse of older adults, will encourage greater social cohesion across generations.
Support training and upskilling of older people: Supporting older people with the skills and help needed to navigate increasingly complex and digitised health and social care systems should be an area of focus.
Jesse Quigley Jones, managing editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit and editor of the report, said, "The challenges that ageing populations present for economies and health systems have long-been understood, yet provision of inclusive, supportive environments for older people has not been a high-profile policy priority. Although wealth has emerged as a theme in the Index as a contributing factor towards healthy ageing indicators, it is not necessarily a prerequisite for providing supportive environments. Lower-income nations can take low-cost measures that improve ageing societies, such as enacting inclusive work environment policies and fostering inclusive and enabling social environments.
With older people particularly vulnerable to the health and societal impact of the covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for older people to lead healthy, independent lives for as long as possible and avoid the need for institutional care. While our data were collected pre-pandemic, the priorities identified in the report are now thrown into sharper light and may serve as a wakeup call for governments across the globe for providing adaptable, accessible and inclusive environments in which populations can age."
For the whitepaper, infographic and index workbook, please visit ageingshift.economist.com
Sandpiper Communications
EIU@sandpipercomms.com
Alice Tong, head of marketing, Content Solutions, Asia-Pacific
alicetong@economist.com
Jesse Quigley Jones, managing editor, Thought Leadership, Asia-Pacific
jessequigleyjones@economist.com
Shifting demographics: a global study on inclusive ageing is a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, supported by Amgen. It considers policy efforts to address active and inclusive ageing in 19 countries based on a first-of-its-kind index that benchmarks each country's performance across accessible and affordable healthcare, social connectivity among older adults, and finance security practices and policies.
The "Scaling Healthy ageing, Inclusive environments and Financial security Today" (SHIFT) Index and the related research programme whose findings form the basis for this report were informed by extensive research and guided by an international panel of experts from across academia, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international financial institutions.
The following 19 countries (comprising the G20 and excluding the EU) are included in this analysis: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. These were selected to broadly represent the world: covering roughly 65% of the population and 75% of global GDP.
About The Economist Intelligence Unit
The Economist Intelligence Unit is the world leader in global business intelligence. It is the business-to-business arm of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist newspaper. The Economist Intelligence Unit helps executives make better decisions by providing timely, reliable and impartial analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies.
More information can be found at www.eiu.com or www.twitter.com/theeiu
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses, by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need, and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world, and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com or www.twitter.com/amgen.
The Cost of Silence: Cardiovascular disease in Asia
The Cost of Silence: Cardiovascular disease in Asia is a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit and EIU Healthcare. It provides a study of the economic impact of CVD risk factors on the following Asian markets: China, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Specifically, the study captures the cost of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. IHD, also called coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease, is the term given to heart problems caused by narrowed heart (coronary) arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, which can lead to stable angina, unstable angina, myocardial infarctions or heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death. Stroke is characterised by the sudden loss of blood circulation to an area of the brain due to blockage of brain vessels, or a haemorrhage or blood clot.
This study further combines an evidence review of existing research on CVDs and primary research in the form of expert interviews.
Key findings of the report are as follow:
The rising incidence of CVD poses a substantial challenge to Asia-Pacific markets The four main modifiable cardiovascular risk factors pose a communications challenge for governments and health agencies. Hypertension is the risk factor that contributes the highest cost. The costs of CVDs are not fixed. Greater awareness and policymaker attention can substantially reduce CVD costs as many obstacles and corresponding solutions have been identified as effective. Policy options for primary prevention include choice "nudges". Effective secondary prevention can also significantly affect costs and outcomes.
The cost of inaction
The cost of inaction: Recognising the value at risk from climate change is a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU). This research depicts the scope of assets at risk from climate change from the present to 2100. This innovative achievement draws on a modelling endeavour that combines The EIU's long-term forecasts with a nuanced, integrated assessment model provided by Vivid Economics. The full methodology can be found in the appendix to this report which can be downloaded here for free. This white paper further discusses the possible consequences of climate change as well as how both investors and governments are measuring and responding to climate-related risks. The findings of this paper are based on detailed modelling, extensive desk research and interviews with a range of experts, conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
To estimate the effect of climate change to 2100 on the changing stock of manageable financial assets, The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) and Vivid Economics have used a leading, peer-reviewed forecasting model of the impact of climate change on the economy, the DICE (Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy) model. DICE is one of a small number of integrated assessment models (IAMs) that have been built to estimate the economic cost of future climate change. These models link economic growth, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and the damages from climate change back on the economy, and they do so in an integrated, consistent framework. They are typically built by adding a model of climate change to an existing framework for modelling the macroeconomy, with carbon emissions and climate damages providing the primary links between the two. DICE is the most popular of these models, having been used and cited in thousands of academic studies over nearly three decades.
The traditional purpose of IAMs has been to estimate the size of the climate change externality—the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions—in order to inform policymakers in setting emission targets or carbon prices. A famous example of such an exercise is the Stern Review, which estimated the present value of the future social costs of climate change to be equivalent to 5-20% of global GDP. The US Environmental Protection Agency has also recently used a suite of IAMs, including DICE, to determine the social costs of carbon for federal regulatory impact assessments. Since the value of financial assets is intrinsically linked to the performance of the economy, the innovation of this study is to use the DICE model to estimate the impact of climate change on financial assets instead.
This modelling recognises that, since the present value of a portfolio of equities should be the discounted cash flow of future dividends, then in the long run—ie, over the course of a century—dividends in a diversified portfolio should grow in line with GDP, as ultimately dividends are paid for from the output of the economy. In well-functioning financial markets the same relationship with GDP growth should hold for cash flows from other kinds of assets, such as bonds. This relationship may not be observed over a relatively long time period, even decades, owing to business cycles; for example, corporate profits are currently at historical highs, while GDP growth is low. However, on average, to 2100, this relationship can be expected to hold up. The DICE model is then used to forecast the effect of climate change on GDP, and in turn on cash flows from assets. The results are for total global assets as DICE is a globally aggregated model that does not allow explicit disaggregation by asset class or by region.
Value-based healthcare in Sweden: Reaching the next level
The need to get better value from healthcare investment has never been more important as ageing populations and increasing numbers of people with multiple chronic conditions force governments to make limited financial resources go further.
These pressures, along with a greater focus on patient-centred care, have raised the profile of VBHC, especially in European healthcare systems. Sweden, with its highly comprehensive and egalitarian healthcare system, has been a leader in implementing VBHC from the beginning, a fact that was underscored in a 2016 global assessment of VBHC published by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
This paper looks at the ways in which Sweden has implemented VBHC, the areas in which it has faced obstacles and the lessons that it can teach other countries and health systems looking to improve the value of their own healthcare investments.


Going down this month of October at SuperLenny, home to exhilarating live casino, table games and play slots is the "Ride like a Legend" promotion. An exceptional chance to cruise away with the much coveted brand new Harley Davidson 1200CX Roadster motorcycle and a limited edition SuperLenny helmet. Be part of this adrenaline-inducing motorbike promotional campaign and who knows? This could be your chance to fulfill that far-fetched childhood dream of riding into the sunset with a state of the art Harley bike. Even better, this could be your hallway to becoming the head honcho of a unisex biking group that gallivants the world on their vintage motorcycles. Who wouldn't want that? This one of a kind campaign runs nonstop from the 2nd of October going on through till the 31st of October 23:59 hours Central European Time(CET).
In order to qualify for the ride, a player has to opt-in into the promotion from the SuperLenny home page and consequently deposit £10 or more into their account. Afterwards, you then play the games of your choice in order to earn points which are automatically updated on the leaderboard instantly. Here, players earn 1 point for every £10 wagered in the casino so, the secret is to wager as much as possible in order to accumulate the highest possible points.
Players can keep track of their points and position in the leaderboard by checking the leaderboard from the terms and conditions section in the home page. It is worth noting that only participating players who have opted in are entitled to the myriad of stupendous spoils up for grabs. Additionally, to qualify for this campaign or any other depositable prize, a player must bet at least once during the campaign period on any slot game(s) of their choice either from their desktop or mobile phone.
Apart from the first prize of a Harley bike for the player with the most points, there are multiple exciting rewards up to the 50th player. There is plenty of prize money to be won up to the 5th player with lucrative deals ranging between £100 to £4000. Competitive BUX rewards are also available for the 6th player all the way up to the 20th player. The 6th to the 10th player attract a grand 500 BUX each while the 11th to the 20th player go home with 250 BUX each. In addition to that amazing prize pool is 20 Super Spins on Motörhead for the 21st to the 35th winner" and finally 50 free spins for the 36th to the 50th winner. These lucrative cash prizes, BUX and spins will be paid out at 18: 00 hours CET on the 1st of November. With this what more could anyone ask for?
In order to qualify for maximum earnings, a player has to put into consideration that laying out the same stake on the red and black in the Roulette or gambling on different upshots in the same event is not counted as wagering.


Over the internet, many websites are offering the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK and data but only a few of them is offering the real one. Today, under this website we are planning to provide you the direct downloading link of Asphalt 9 Legend Modded APK with data so that you can enjoy the game without any limit. Enjoy the best racing game with unlimited resources and no restrictions. Enjoy Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK.
With the Modded APK, you can enjoy unlimited money, credits, tokens, and so many other things. No need to spend your hard earned money on purchasing in-app purchase. In the career mode of the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK, you will go to participate in different types of races to earn a lot of money. With this in-game cash, you can unlock high-class cars. Moreover, you can easily upgrade your cars, change its color, accessories, and boost up its engine with unlimited cash. Not only this, you can play any season of the game from the beginning of the game. Even though you can challenge any of the seven rivals. With your status, you can play any event out of 800 events.
All in all, in the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK 0.5.3a you will have a plenty of content to keep playing the game. You can knock down your opponents easily without any hassle in any racing seasons. Enjoy the unlimited thrills with Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK Free.
The Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK has stunning & impressive features which you will experience once you download the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK and Asphalt 9 iOS Hack Version. Here we have compiled a list features have a look at them before moving ahead.
All the modes of the game are unlocked. No need to start from the street racing.
All the cars are unlocked. No need to wait for an in-cash game.
In Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK you will enjoy unlimited tokens, credits, and cash.
Feel Free to customize your car with the unlimited money.
Best console experience in the palm of your hand.
In this page, we will discuss how to get unlimited money for Asphalt9 Legend, Asphalt legend is 2018 arcade racing game developed by Gameloft, the ever known person in the world of best racing video game series. Nowadays Legend going to become the most popular game on the map of the world, people love to play this video game on their smartphones like Android, IOS, iPad, iPhone etc.
Every new edition of Asphalt series is modified than previous one with more interesting feature and graphics design that enable it to make a special place in the heart of the user.
Asphalt Legend APK mod help the user to get unlimited money, unlimited credits, unlimited coins, great amount of nitro, maximum numbers of stars, boosting will be infinite, unlocked all cars and tracks.
APK stands for android package kit use by android devices for the installation and the Distribution of smart mobile apps. Mod APK have unlocked and unlimited features.
Asphalt mod APK ensure its user to enjoyed video game freely without getting worried about credits, money, nitro, boosting power etc.
Asphalt mega mod APK is best one APK available on the internet, here the following features that provided by this hack.
List given below shows off the 15 most interesting or outstanding features of Asphalt9 legend.
Here are the minimum system requirements for the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK which your smartphone must meet. Have a look at them before proceeding.
VPN Philippines IP Address because the Authorities launch the server in Philippine.
Test Devices Samsung S4, S5, S6, S7 or higher any.
Click on the download link provided below in order to start to download the Asphalt 9 Legends MOD APK for free. In case you need any installation support don't hesitate to ask. Share your valuable feedback with us in the form of comments below.


text:
Q: Understanding foreach with pyspark structured streaming I'm trying to figure out how to apply foreach to the word count example in pyspark, because in my use case I need to be able to write to multiple sources. However, the foreach class does not seem to actually ever execute, and no file ever gets created.
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
from pyspark.sql.functions import explode, split
import os
import uuid
import tempfile

spark = SparkSession.builder.appName('Struct-stream').getOrCreate()

lines = spark \
        .readStream \
        .format('socket') \
        .option('host', 'localhost') \
        .option('port', 9999) \
        .load()

words = lines.select(
   explode(
       split(lines.value, " ")
   ).alias("word")
)

wordCounts = words.groupBy("word").count()

open_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
process_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()

class Writer:

    open_dir = open_dir
    process_dir = process_dir

    def open(self, partition_id, epoch_id):
        with open(os.path.join(self.open_dir, str(uuid.uuid4())), 'w') as f:
            f.write("%s\n" % str({'partition_id': partition_id, 'epoch': epoch_id}))
        return True

    def process(self, row):
        with open(os.path.join(self.process_dir, str(uuid.uuid4())), 'w') as f:
            f.write("%s\n" % str({'value': 'text'}))

query = wordCounts \
        .writeStream \
        .foreach(Writer()) \
        .outputMode('complete') \
        .format('console') \
        .start()

query.awaitTermination()

I'm trying to understand why no file ever gets written, or if the Writer class ever actually gets executed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Richland County, SC (WLTX) - Richland County deputies are searching for a suspect who they say sexually assaulted a woman at a massage parlor.
On September 30, a woman went to the Massage Envy located at 630 Promenade Place. As she was getting a massage from 34-year-old Marcus James Stevenson, investigators say the suspect sexually assaulted her.
Hmmm....rutting apes giving massages to women....what could go wrong there??


With over thirty years experience specializing in multifamily utility cost allocation, Liss Technologies has the experience, the know-how and the best equipment available to measure gas consumption in your apartment complex. Liss Technologies offers multiple types of gas measurement, such as traditional submetering and runtime monitoring.
Frequency-hopping, spread spectrum RF (radio frequency) wireless gas meter monitors are installed on every meter. This equipment is used to monitor utility consumption in over two million apartments nationwide. Automated nightly data collection is provided using either a dial-up modem or an internet connection.
Standard NG4 diaphragm gas meters are specifically made for submetering applications with gas appliances. The aluminum construction along with the sealed register are well-suited to apartment submetering applications. They utilize pulsing heads and integrated frequency-hopping RF signal transmitters to transmit collected consumption data to a centrally-located data collector..
Compugas is a wireless energy allocation system utilizing advanced non-licensed, spread spectrum radio technology to transmit energy usage data from individual apartment furnaces to a central receiver and data collector. This economical system enables the automated billing of natural gas energy usage in thousands of apartments across the United States.
Gas consumption data is uploaded daily from your property's onsite data collector to our centrally-located billing facility in Omaha, Nebraska. At the end of each monthly period, a statement that looks like an ordinary utility bill is prepared by Invoice America and mailed directly to apartment residents. Our available third-party payment processing gives tenants the impression Invoice Ameica billings are comparable to other utilities…the sense of payment to an independent third party…not the sense of payment to the property.


text:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
                xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="match_parent"
                android:background="#2e2e2e"
                tools:context="com.vodkasoft.canyousinkme.game.MenuFB"
    >

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/main_main_logo"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="25dp"
        android:adjustViewBounds="false"
        android:src="@drawable/main_logo"/>

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/menufb_welcome_txt"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@+id/main_main_logo"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="30dp"
        android:text="Welcome,"
        android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
        android:textColor="#ffffffff"/>

    <ImageButton
        android:id="@+id/menuguest_multiplayer_btn"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@+id/menufb_welcome_txt"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="20dp"
        android:background="@null"
        android:onClick="GoToHostOrJoin"
        android:src="@drawable/multiplayer_btn"/>

    <ImageButton
        android:id="@+id/menuguest_singleplayer_btn"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@+id/menuguest_multiplayer_btn"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="10dp"
        android:background="@null"
        android:onClick="goToCreateBoard"
        android:src="@drawable/singleplayer_btn"/>

    <ImageButton
        android:id="@+id/menuguest_leaderboards_btn"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@+id/menuguest_singleplayer_btn"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="10dp"
        android:background="@null"
        android:onClick="Leaderboards_Event"
        android:src="@drawable/leaderboards_btn"/>

    <ImageButton
        android:id="@+id/menuguest_about_btn"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@+id/menuguest_leaderboards_btn"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="10dp"
        android:background="@null"
        android:onClick="About_Event"
        android:src="@drawable/about_btn"/>
</RelativeLayout>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Vibrant blue flowers atop this graceful woodland hybrid during the summer. Bright red foliage follow in the fall. Grows well in sun or shade. Hardy geraniums are wonderful filler plants for any landscape, either residential or commercial. They blend nicely with most other perennials and offer continuous color throughout the summer months.
Magenta pink flowers emerge from bright colored buds on deeply lobed semigreen leaves.


Beware of "Mortgage Rescue" Schemes…!!!
I hate it when I hear stories like this so that's why I am posting this on my website here.
If you or someone you know is having a problem making their Mortgage Loan payments…? What ever you do, please stay in touch with your Lender. The banks don't really want your house back and will work with you up to a point.


Move more with internal combustion pneumatic tire forklifts built by Cat® lift trucks. Designed to push through the toughest work days, these forklifts offer dependable performance and rugged durability in heavy-duty outdoor applications. With a lift capacity of 3,000 - 36,000 lbs., Cat IC pneumatic tire forklifts help provide maximum power and performance. Contact your Cat® lift truck dealer to find the right model for your business.


text:
La crisis diplomática de Colombia con Ecuador y Venezuela de 2008 (también referida como Crisis Andina) se desarrolló luego de que fuerzas militares y policiales de Colombia ejecutaran la Operación Fénix, una incursión en territorio ecuatoriano en una misión contra la guerrilla, realizando un bombardeo donde murieron Raúl Reyes, otros 17 guerrilleros miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), cuatro estudiantes mexicanos y un ciudadano ecuatoriano, quienes se encontraban pernoctando en un campamento fronterizo dentro de este país en la madrugada del 1 de marzo de 2008.

Los gobiernos ecuatoriano y venezolano reclamaron al gobierno colombiano por violar la soberanía del Ecuador al ejecutar allí una operación militar contrainsurgente sin autorización; a su vez el gobierno colombiano declaró haber encontrado, en la incursión, computadores que pertenecían al fallecido Raúl Reyes y que comprometen a dichos gobiernos con el apoyo a las FARC. Los gobiernos de Ecuador y Venezuela sostuvieron que mantenían contactos con las FARC como parte de las negociaciones, junto con Francia, para liberar rehenes y avanzar hacia la paz en el conflicto armado colombiano. Para los gobiernos de ambas naciones, estas negociaciones habrían sido frustradas por la muerte de Reyes.

La crisis provocó la ruptura de las relaciones diplomáticas de los gobiernos de Ecuador y Venezuela con Colombia y el anuncio del envío de tropas militares por parte de los dos primeros países a sus respectivos límites fronterizos con Colombia. El 7 de marzo de 2008 las tensiones se aliviaron durante la cumbre del Grupo de Río, aunque el impase no fue completamente solucionado y las relaciones entre estos países volvieron a tensarse en los años siguientes tras la masacre del Táchira, el acuerdo militar colombo-estadounidense de 2009 y posteriormente la crisis diplomática de 2010.

Antecedentes

Las relaciones diplomáticas colombo-venezolanas se vieron afectadas luego de que el gobierno colombiano finalizara la mediación de Hugo Chávez, y la senadora Piedad Córdoba para obtener el acuerdo humanitario. El anuncio fue realizado el 21 de noviembre de 2007, por el portavoz de la Casa de Nariño, César Mauricio Velásquez. "El presidente de la República da por terminada la facilitación de la senadora Piedad Córdoba y la mediación del Presidente Hugo Chávez, a quienes agradece la ayuda que estaban prestando". El detonante de la situación fue una llamada del presidente venezolano al comandante del ejército Mario Montoya, rompiendo un "pacto de caballeros", acordado en la última reunión de Chávez con el presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe Vélez en Santiago de Chile.

Al día siguiente, Chávez, en horas del mediodía, ordenó el retiro del embajador Pavel Rondón, y el anuncio de la congelación de las relaciones entre los dos países:

Horas después, el presidente Uribe respondió que:

Por otra parte, las relaciones entre Colombia y Ecuador, mantenían puntos de tensión frente a este mismo tema, cuando Colombia manifestó en octubre de 2007 su preocupación porque el gobierno ecuatoriano no había tomado acciones adecuadas para prevenir la presencia de grupos insurgentes colombianos dentro de su territorio, mientras Colombia no pone un solo soldado en la frontera. Además el presidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, había expresado su malestar con el gobierno colombiano debido a los efectos en la población fronteriza afectada por las fumigaciones aéreas indiscriminadas en la frontera con glifosato durante el transcurso del Plan Colombia. Este caso, considerado un abuso del gobierno colombiano, fue llevado a la OEA, al tiempo que se anunciaron acciones ante las Naciones Unidas y la petición de indemnizaciones para la población afectada.

Muertos en la operación

El 1 de marzo de 2008, el gobierno colombiano, mediante su ministro de defensa, Juan Manuel Santos, confirmó la muerte de Raúl Reyes, miembro del secretariado de las FARC, durante el operativo en territorio ecuatoriano. El dirigente de las FARC muerto, estuvo inmerso en 121 procesos judiciales, tenía 57 expedientes por homicidio terrorista, 26 por terrorismo, 25 por rebelión, cuatro por secuestro y nueve por lesiones, además de otras catorce condenas.

El campamento donde se encontraba el líder insurgente en la zona fronteriza, donde murió a causa del ataque junto con otros 22 rebeldes, fue localizado a través de una llamada que habría hecho Reyes, lo que habría permitido al ejército colombiano ubicar el campamento. Los servicios de inteligencia de Colombia al captar la señal de la llamada, realizaron el rastreo técnico. Posteriormente establecieron que el guerrillero se encontraba en las inmediaciones de la frontera y comenzaron a seguirlo. Dicho hecho provocó protestas por parte del gobierno ecuatoriano y venezolano debido a que las tropas colombianas bombardearon el territorio ecuatoriano durante el operativo.

Los estudiantes Ulises Soren Avilés Ángeles, Fernando Franco Delgado, Juan González del Castillo y Verónica Natalia Velásquez, alumnos de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) fueron identificados por el gobierno ecuatoriano como desaparecidos que podrían estar entre los muertos hallados en el campamento de las FARC. Según el secretario ejecutivo de la Asociación Latinoamericana para los Derechos Humanos, Juan de Dios Parra, los estudiantes habían participado en un congreso bolivariano que se realizó en Ecuador durante el mes de febrero.

Respuestas

Ecuador

Tras la muerte de Reyes, el presidente ecuatoriano Rafael Correa declaró que había sido informado de la situación por parte del presidente colombiano, y dijo que enviaría las fuerzas militares de su país a investigar los hechos ocurridos en porción ecuatoriana de la zona fronteriza ecuatoriana. Posteriormente, Correa declaró que Colombia había incursionado de manera ilegal en territorio ecuatoriano con el objetivo de bombardear al campamento de Reyes, lo cual rechazó afirmando que "aquí nadie puede entrar a nuestro territorio y menos aún armado, por más que sean fuerzas irregulares o regulares".

De acuerdo con las investigaciones del Ecuador, los guerrilleros fueron bombardeados y "masacrados" utilizando "tecnología de punta" mientras pernoctaban en el campamento, lo que fue llevado a cabo, probablemente, con ayuda de alguna "potencia extranjera", una vez realizados los bombardeos, el ejército colombiano cruzó la frontera con el fin de extraer el cadáver de Reyes, abandonando los demás. Concluyó diciendo que:

Además, el gobierno de Ecuador retiró a su embajador en Bogotá y envió una nota de protesta, en la cual se solicita a Colombia que explique el "indebido proceder de sus fuerzas militares", reiterando el que "ninguna fuerza militar regular o irregular puede actuar en el territorio de Ecuador que, con arreglo a su derecho a la legítima defensa y a la seguridad, repelerá, capturará y someterá a la justicia a quienes ingresen armados al territorio o se establezcan para desarrollar actividades al margen de la ley". Concluye que "el Estado ecuatoriano ha colaborado con autoridades colombianas en acciones apegadas a las leyes de los dos países y a los derechos humanos. Lamentablemente esta cooperación bilateral no se verificó en torno a los hechos descritos, que por tanto significan la vulneración de la integridad territorial y el ordenamiento legal de Ecuador".

En la noche del 2 de marzo de 2008, el presidente Correa anunció públicamente la expulsión del embajador colombiano en Quito y solicitó la inmediata convocatoria de los consejos permanentes de la OEA y la CAN, además de reiterar la movilización de tropas ecuatorianas a la frontera norte. Además, Correa exigió al gobierno colombiano "compromisos firmados de respeto a Ecuador" y no solamente disculpas formales, a las que calificó de "burla".

El 3 de marzo de 2008 el gobierno ecuatoriano anunció que rompía sus relaciones con el gobierno de Colombia. El comunicado emitido afirma que Correa ordenó proteger a una patrulla militar colombiana en Ecuador, que argumentaba estar rodeada por 200 miembros de las FARC durante la verificación de los hechos, comprobando posteriormente que era falso y que dicha patrulla "estaba ganando tiempo para poder regresar a su país" después del ataque. El gobierno ecuatoriano menciona la interceptación de comunicaciones en ese sentido y afirma que los militares colombianos "claramente sabían que era en nuestro territorio" ya que desde hace días seguían a Reyes "por medio del teléfono satelital". El comunicado concluye que "hoy que se devela la mentira, nos tratan de involucrar con las FARC, supuestamente por documentos, sin firma, que encontraron en tres computadoras que supuestamente capturaron en el campamento y luego de las explosiones quedaron intactas".

Venezuela

El presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez reaccionó ante el incidente manifestando que consideraba de suma gravedad la violación de la soberanía ecuatoriana por parte de fuerzas militares de Colombia. El mismo día del hecho el presidente venezolano advirtió a Colombia abstenerse de hacer lo mismo en suelo venezolano porque "se encontrará con una guerra".

El 2 de marzo de 2008, Chávez estimó en su programa Aló Presidente, que la muerte de Reyes fue un "cobarde asesinato" y afirmó que se produjo sin ningún combate. Al mismo tiempo, ordenó al Ministro de Defensa de Venezuela, Gustavo Rangel, movilizar 10 batallones del ejército a la frontera, y solicitó al Canciller Nicolás Maduro, retirar a todos los funcionarios venezolanos en la embajada de Bogotá, y dijo que enviaría aviones Sukhoi a la frontera en caso de ordenarse una incursión militar colombiana al territorio venezolano. El presidente venezolano anunció que "apoyaremos al Ecuador en cualquier circunstancia", y pidió que otros gobiernos latinoamericanos se pronuncien al respecto.

Chávez afirmó que Colombia pretende convertirse en el "Israel de América Latina". Posteriormente se dirigió en tono descalificativo al Primer Mandatario colombiano: "Uribe es un criminal, no sólo un mentiroso, un paramilitar y dirige un narcogobierno. Es un criminal y dirige una banda de criminales en el Palacio de Nariño".

"Nosotros no queremos guerra, pero no le vamos a permitir al presidente Uribe y la oligarquía colombiana que nos venga a dividir, a debilitar", concluyó Chávez. El 3 de marzo el canciller venezolano, anunció oficialmente que el Gobierno del presidente Hugo Chávez decidió expulsar al embajador de Colombia y a todo el personal diplomático de su embajada en Caracas.

Polémicas
En Venezuela algunos sectores criticaron al presidente Chávez, aduciendo "complicar a la Nación en un problema que no les incumbe, ya que el país ni fue invadido ni agredido".

En la tarde del 3 de marzo, el gobernador del fronterizo estado Zulia, Manuel Rosales, líder de la oposición venezolana, criticó la actitud de Chávez: "él habla en nombre de todos los venezolanos y estoy seguro que la inmensa mayoría de este pueblo no quiere más problemas, no quiere más violencia, inconvenientes ni distanciamiento con otros países, sino que solucionemos nuestros problemas. Además acusó al presidente de "alta traición a la patria" por colocar a Venezuela "en actitud de guerra por defender las posiciones y andanzas" de una organización que representa a la "guerrilla y al terrorismo".

El 4 de marzo el general Raúl Isaías Baduel, comandante general del Ejército de Venezuela hasta el 2006 y ministro de Defensa de Venezuela hasta junio de 2007, cofundador del Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario, junto a Hugo Chávez y otros, realizó duras críticas al respecto del anuncio del desplazamiento de los batallones por parte de Chávez "ha sido hecho ante micrófonos, como si fuera un reality show. Y ese anuncio proviene de alguien que se supone que los planes de movilización deben manejarse con reserva. Chávez quiere ir a la guerra como Mambrú: solo. Porque a la guerra no sólo van generales y almirantes, van mandos medios, oficiales y suboficiales que razonan y saben que no ha habido una agresión contra nuestro país. Las razones son ficticias. Y el pueblo venezolano, del que las fuerzas armadas forman parte, lo sabe" y que desea "importar el problema, pero no ha habido ninguna agresión a nuestro país, ni siquiera una amenaza cierta". De acuerdo a José Vicente Rangel, la Operación Fénix se llevó a cabo con el apoyo de fuerzas especiales estadounidenses.

Colombia

Horas después de la muerte de Raúl Reyes, el presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe Vélez afirmó que "hoy hemos dado otro paso contra el terrorismo que no respeta fronteras y que pretende seducir pueblos mientras ve la posibilidad de utilizarlos y finalmente los invade y los sorprende", agregando que asumía la responsabilidad total de la operación.

Después de las declaraciones de Correa y Chávez, el gobierno colombiano, mediante su canciller Fernando Araújo, pidió disculpas a Ecuador "por la acción que se vio obligado a adelantar en la zona de frontera, consistente en el ingreso de helicópteros colombianos con personal de las Fuerzas Armadas a territorio ecuatoriano, en la cual se rescató el cadáver de Raúl Reyes, de otro guerrillero y algunos elementos personales, al igual que abundante documentación y correspondencia del terrorista, y tres computadores". El comunicado añade que "el Gobierno colombiano nunca ha tenido la pretensión o la disposición de faltar al respeto o vulnerar la soberanía o la integridad de la hermana República del Ecuador".

La cancillería afirmó que Raúl Reyes "dirigía desde hace muchos años operaciones criminales en el sur de nuestro país y clandestinamente, desde territorio ecuatoriano sin el consentimiento de ese Gobierno" y expresó su voluntad de "avanzar en el desarrollo de mecanismos de cooperación en la lucha contra el terrorismo". El gobierno colombiano dijo estar dispuesto a "indemnizar a los ciudadanos ecuatorianos que hubieran podido resultar afectados en los hechos antes descritos".

En comunicado del 3 de marzo de 2008, el gobierno colombiano declaró que no movilizará tropas a las fronteras con Ecuador y Venezuela, afirmó que su interés es la "recuperación del orden público interno", y anunció que sometería a verificación técnica internacional y pondría en conocimiento de la OEA y las Naciones Unidas la información hallada en los computadores de Raúl Reyes sobre presuntos acuerdos que considera "violan la normatividad internacional en su prohibición a los países de albergar terroristas". En el comunicado, el presidente colombiano declaró que "Los acuerdos que puedan existir entre esos dos estados –Venezuela y Ecuador– y una organización que es calificada como terrorista (las FARC) violan la normativa internacional en su prohibición a los países de albergar terroristas", acusando de esta manera a los dos países de apoyar de forma encubierta a las FARC.

Por su parte, el Ministro de Defensa de Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, anunció que la incursión de las tropas colombianas hicieron a Ecuador para abatir al segundo hombre de las FARC, Raúl Reyes, se hubiera evitado con una mayor colaboración de parte de Quito. "Si hubiese un tipo de colaboración real con el Ecuador para perseguir estos grupos, este tipo de situaciones no se hubieran presentado, pero es que nunca la hemos tenido. Ellos siempre han tenido una posición de que no quieren interferir en el conflicto colombiano", dijo Santos.

El 4 de marzo, en medio de una escalada diplomática, el presidente de Colombia, Álvaro Uribe declaró que "Colombia se propone, en la Corte Penal Internacional, denunciar a Hugo Chávez, presidente de Venezuela en ese momento, por patrocinio y financiación de genocidas".

Documentos incautados

Voceros de la presidencia de Colombia han asegurado tener supuestos documentos "tremendamente reveladores" que demuestran la existencia de "vínculos" entre el entonces Presidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, el entonces Presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, y los guerrilleros de las FARC. El gobierno colombiano afirma que dichos documentos fueron encontrados dentro de los tres ordenadores incautados por la Inteligencia Militar colombiana al guerrillero abatido, Raúl Reyes, argumentando que vincularían seriamente a dichos mandatarios con el grupo guerrillero de las FARC, según ha informado el director de la Policía de Colombia, Óscar Naranjo.

 Buscan establecer un nexo entre los presidentes de Ecuador y Venezuela con las FARC.
 Alianza armada entre las FARC y el gobierno de Venezuela.
 Que supuestamente el Ministro de Seguridad Interna y Externa de Ecuador, Gustavo Larrea, le había dicho personalmente a Reyes que Quito tenía interés en oficializar las relaciones con las FARC.
 La compra y venta de 50 kilogramos de uranio no enriquecido que no les fue entregado.
 En éstos se destaca el agradecimiento de Chávez por la ayuda de 105.000 dólares - al cambio de la época - que recibió de la guerrilla cuando estaba en prisión en 1992, después de intentar un golpe de Estado contra el presidente Carlos Andrés Pérez.
 La documentación incluye correspondencia de Luciano Marín, miembro de la dirección de las FARC, en la que habla del financiamiento de Venezuela a la guerrilla por 300 millones de dólares.
 De documentos hallados en los ordenadores se intenta desprender que Hugo Chávez aportó armas y dinero a las FARC, que adiestraron a grupos afines al chavismo.
 Inteligencia colombiana no modificó Correos electrónicos los cuales indican que las FARC contribuyeron con al menos 100.000 dólares (unos 64.000 euros) a la campaña electoral de Correa, en 2006.
 La misma prensa colombiana reveló que autoridades colombianas, del gobierno de Álvaro Uribe, habían editado un video del "mono Jojoy" para inculpar al presidente Rafael Correa de supuestos nexos con las FARC.

Antes de medianoche del 2 de marzo se conoció la posición ecuatoriana ante las denuncias formuladas por Colombia sobre los vínculos de Ecuador con las FARC. El viceministro de Defensa de Ecuador, Miguel Carvajal, afirmó que las declaraciones del director de la Policía colombiana eran una "patraña". Dijo que no sabía de donde se "sacaba eso", respecto a los presuntos vínculos de Correa con la guerrilla colombiana.

Posteriormente, en cadena televisiva, el presidente Correa y su ministro coordinador de seguridad, Gustavo Larrea, declararon que cualquier acercamiento con las FARC se debía a negociaciones realizadas junto a Francia, buscando liberar doce secuestrados incluyendo a Ingrid Betancourt. Para el gobierno ecuatoriano, las negociaciones para la liberación estaban "bastante avanzadas" y fueron frustradas por la acción colombiana. El presidente ecuatoriano expresó que su gobierno no descartaba que impedir la liberación de secuestrados fuera "una de las motivaciones de la incursión y ataque por parte de los enemigos de la paz".

En tanto, el ministro de Relaciones Interiores y Justicia venezolano Ramón Rodríguez Chacín expresó que el gobierno colombiano mentía sobre los presuntos vínculos entre el gobierno de Venezuela y las FARC, pues la única relación entre las FARC y el gobierno venezolano sería para negociar la liberación de secuestrados y buscar la paz. Declaró que el presidente venezolano "ha recibido cartas de Manuel Marulanda y las ha mostrado a todo el mundo", y que cualquier relación con el comandante guerrillero Iván Márquez era pública y "con el objeto de conversar en la búsqueda de la paz verdadera para Colombia". Chacín luego denunció que habría un computador en manos del gobierno venezolano con pruebas de "lazos consanguíneos y de negocios" entre el jefe de policía colombiano Naranjo Trujillo y el desaparecido narcotraficante Wilmer Varela alias "Jabón", quien según la DEA enviaba más del 70 por ciento de la cocaína que entra a Estados Unidos.

Dictamen de la Interpol
El 16 de mayo de 2008, el secretario general de la Organización Internacional de Policía Criminal (Interpol), Ronald Noble, presentó las conclusiones de un peritaje forense practicado a los tres portátiles, las tres memorias USB y los dos discos duros externos supuestamente pertenecientes al jefe guerrillero, Raúl Reyes.

«Interpol concluye que no hubo ningún tipo de alteración, repito, ninguna alteración de los datos [...] «A partir de ahora nadie puede cuestionar nunca si Colombia manipuló la evidencia encontrada. Son auténticos y son de las FARC», dijo sin atisbo de duda el secretario general de ese organismo, Ronald Noble, ». El organismo policial también certificó que los equipos incautados "pertenecen a Raúl Reyes" y que sus contenidos se remontan "a muchos años" atrás.

Un equipo de 64 expertos de 15 países trabajó más de 5.000 horas en el análisis de 37.872 documentos de texto, 452 hojas de cálculo, 210.888 imágenes, 10.537 archivos multimedia y 7.989 direcciones de correo electrónico, "que serán muy importantes", acotó Noble, "para investigaciones antiterroristas en Colombia y en otros países". El jefe de Interpol rechazó cualquier pretensión de cuestionar la independencia del organismo. «"Nuestro papel es exclusivamente técnico. No tenemos ningún interés personal"».

Rechazo a acciones de Colombia
El 5 de marzo, luego de intensas y largas conversaciones (de más de 14 horas, según Arístides Royo, representante de Panamá), los representantes en la OEA llegaron a un acuerdo provisional por el cual se rechaza la violación de la soberanía territorial ecuatoriana. El embajador venezolano, Jorge Valero, apoyó la iniciativa por considerarla la voluntad de rechazar todo intento de agresión de un país contra otro. Para María Isabel Salvador, representante ecuatoriana ante la OEA, es "un éxito para Ecuador" Los dos países alcanzaron un acuerdo que señala que Bogotá violó el artículo 21 de la OEA, que sostiene que "el territorio de un Estado es inviolable" en cualquier situación.

Resolución de la OEA
Mediante el acuerdo provisional entre Ecuador y Colombia, por unanimidad la asamblea de la OEA resolvió declarar que Colombia violó la soberanía territorial de Ecuador. El Gobierno del Ecuador impuso cinco condiciones para restaurar las relaciones con Colombia:

 Control militar de Colombia en la frontera común.
 Indemnización por el ataque perpetrado en Angostura
 Ayuda económica a través de la ONU para la atención de refugiados colombianos.
 Entrega de información sobre el bombardeo, en el que pudo haber participado Estados Unidos.
 Poner fin a las denuncias infundadas que relacionan al Gobierno con las FARC.

Mientras eso no ocurriera, Ecuador no restablecería relaciones diplomáticas con Colombia, las cuales terminaron por reanudarse en noviembre de 2010.

Actividad militar
Desde el 2 de marzo, tanto Venezuela como Ecuador realizaron movilización de tropas hacia la frontera con Colombia. Al día siguiente, Colombia afirmó que no movilizaría tropas en respuesta. En la inteligencia militar colombiana sostienen que el desplazamiento de tropas venezolanas a la frontera tuvo como objetivo proteger al líder de las FARC, Manuel Marulanda, el cual estaría oculto en el occidente de Venezuela.

En la noche del 5 de marzo, día que la OEA expuso su resolución sobre el caso, Rafael Correa, presidente de Ecuador, afirmó que era "Bienvenida la comisión de verificación (...) y luego irían a la citada Asamblea de cancilleres para que haya una condena contundente, porque si no recibe esas satisfacciones Ecuador, sabremos exigirlas por nuestros propios medios, y la OEA y la comunidad internacional por su silencio y omisiones habrán sido las culpables". Además complementó diciendo que "Colombia no ha movilizado tropas a la frontera porque no puede, no porque no quiere, porque esa zona la controla las FARC, Ecuador limita con las FARC".

A pesar de la advertencia, Juan Manuel Santos, Ministro de Defensa de Colombia en ese entonces, ratificó la estrategia del gobierno colombiano de no enviar tropas a la zona limítrofe. "Nosotros no tenemos ninguna preocupación por ese movimiento de tropas ni vamos a mover nuestras tropas hacia la frontera. Queremos, simplemente, enviarle al pueblo de Venezuela y al pueblo de Ecuador nuestra admiración y nuestra parte de tranquilidad absoluta."

Cumbre de Río

Durante la cumbre del Grupo de Río en República Dominicana a donde asistieron los mandatarios de cada país el día 7 de marzo de 2008, se presentaron acusaciones de parte y parte. Uribe aceptó haber violado la soberanía de Ecuador y pidió disculpas. Al final del debate, el presidente anfitrión Leonel Fernández tomó el micrófono para solicitar que los presidentes de Colombia, Ecuador y Venezuela se dieran un apretón de manos para terminar con sus diferencias. Con este acto simbólico se ilustra el fin de la crisis. Dos días tras la cumbre Chávez calificó el conflicto de "desactivado" y restableció las relaciones comerciales, fronterizas y retiró al ejército venezolano de la frontera con Colombia.

Posiciones

Otros países

 : el canciller Jorge Taiana afirmó que mantuvo conversaciones telefónicas con sus pares de Colombia, Ecuador y Venezuela, además de los de Brasil, Chile y Paraguay. Entre tanto, una fuente cercana al Palacio San Martín afirmó que existió "una evidente violación de la soberanía territorial de un país de la región como es Ecuador".

 : el presidente Evo Morales, quien ejercía también como presidente pro-témpore de la Unasur, declaró que la crisis desatada puede socavar profundamente los cimientos de la conformación de ésta y fue enfático en rechazar las acciones violentas emprendidas, abogando por una solución pacífica al conflicto, declarando: "No creo en soluciones militares ni en la confrontación armada, hay que buscar salidas pacíficas y humanitarias a los problemas entre países hermanos".

 : el canciller Celso Amorim pidió a la OEA que se investigue con prontitud el caso de la violación de la soberanía del Ecuador. El presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ha conversado con varios mandatarios incluidos los de los tres países para buscar una salida a la crisis.

 : la presidenta Michelle Bachelet, afirmó que "una situación de esta naturaleza sin dudas merece una explicación por parte de Colombia a los ecuatorianos, al presidente ecuatoriano y al conjunto de la región".

 : aludiendo a la crisis, el expresidente Fidel Castro afirmó que "se escuchan con fuerza" en América del Sur "las trompetas de la guerra", en razón de lo que calificó como "planes genocidas del imperio yanqui".

 : en nota del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, el Gobierno de España expresó su "preocupación" y abogó por la recuperación de un clima de entendimiento entre las partes haciendo un llamamiento "a la calma y encarece a las partes para que resuelvan sus diferencias, utilizando los canales diplomáticos, por medio del diálogo, la cooperación entre vecinos y la buena fe".

 : la Casa Blanca expresó su sorpresa por la respuesta de Venezuela, considerándola como una "extraña reacción por parte de Venezuela a los esfuerzos de Colombia en su combate a las FARC, una organización terrorista que sigue reteniendo (secuestrados) a colombianos, estadounidenses y a otros rehenes". "No veo ninguna razón para que otro país pudiera involucrarse en este tema", agregó Tom Casey, portavoz del Departamento de Estado. Estados Unidos también expresó "total apoyo" a Colombia por el ataque militar a un campamento de la guerrilla colombiana en territorio de Ecuador, donde según el gobierno colombiano se daba abrigo para perpetrar sus acciones terroristas en el país vecino.

 : mediante un comunicado, el canciller Bernard Kouchner hizo un "llamado a la contención" ante la "escalada de la tensión en la región andina". Al mismo tiempo consideró la "urgencia de hallar una solución negociada" del conflicto armado colombiano. También expresó que Reyes era el contacto con Francia para la negociación de los rehenes y "es una mala noticia que el hombre con el que estábamos dialogando, con quien teníamos contactos, haya muerto".

 : El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Irán, Manouchehr Mottaki, expresó su preocupación por la escalada entre Colombia y sus vecinos, y abogó porque el diferendo se solucione por vía la diplomática. "Estamos preocupados por las recientes agresiones militares en la frontera ecuatoriana", aseguró Mottaki.

 : "El presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez está introduciendo en América Latina la cultura del odio", fueron las declaraciones del embajador de Israel en Argentina, Rafael Eldad, en rechazo a las declaraciones del mandatario venezolano en las que comparó a Colombia con Israel

 : el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Italia, Massimo D'Alema, declaró que "La operación militar colombiana en el exterior nos sorprendió mucho y nos dejó preocupados y perplejos". Prosiguiendo con que "una operación de ese tipo resulta en contradicción con el esfuerzo de abrir un canal diplomático" y por ello se entiende que "haya creado graves tensiones en América Latina".

 : el expresidente Felipe Calderón se ofreció el domingo en la noche para mediar entre los gobiernos de Colombia y Ecuador, mediante comunicación telefónica con los mandatarios de ambos países. El vocero de la presidencia indicó que "el presidente Felipe Calderón sostuvo conversaciones telefónicas con sus homólogos de Ecuador y Colombia, Rafael Correa y Álvaro Uribe, respectivamente, a fin de dialogar sobre la delicada situación que prevalece entre ambos países", y posteriormente se ofreció como mediador en la crisis.

 : el presidente Daniel Ortega condenó la muerte de Reyes, que calificó de asesinato, diciendo que el presidente Uribe había "matado a las posibilidades de paz en Colombia" y el 6 de marzo de 2008 retiró su embajada y rompió relaciones diplomáticas con Colombia.

 : el presidente Alan García Pérez pidió a Colombia "explicaciones claras" por la incursión militar en Ecuador, respaldando el principio de soberanía. También indicó que el gobierno venezolano "no añada palabras ni hechos" ya que su país no ha sido afectado

 : el vicepresidente Ram Sardjoe expresó que su país mantiene buenas relaciones con Colombia, Ecuador y Venezuela, y consideró el hecho como un asunto interno de los tres países, al mismo tiempo que sugirió la mediación de Surinam en apoyo a una salida a la crisis.

 : el presidente Leonel Fernández conversó vía telefónica con los presidentes de los tres países en conflicto el día martes 4 de marzo, exhortándolos a seguir el camino del diálogo y a emplear el escenario de la Cumbre de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno del Grupo de Río, que reuniría junto a otros jefes de Estado de la región, a los presidentes de Colombia, Venezuela y Ecuador; y que se celebraría en la capital dominicana Santo Domingo, para conversar sobre las formas de solucionar el conflicto.

 : el presidente Vladímir Putin expresó su apoyo a una solución política a la crisis, aunque se rumoró posteriormente la existencia de una supuesta alianza entre Rusia y Venezuela en una eventual guerra con Colombia.

 : en comunicado de prensa, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores instó a "establecer, de manera urgente, un ámbito de diálogo tendiente a resolver y superar las diferencias existentes, retornando a la normalidad de sus relaciones" y solicitó al Mercosur una reunión para analizar la crisis.

Organismos internacionales

  OEA: el secretario general de la OEA, José Miguel Insulza se ha enfrascado en intensas conversaciones diplomáticas con diversos cancilleres y mandatarios regionales con el fin de buscar una salida pacífica al conflicto, con estos mismo fines el Consejo Permanente se reunirá el día 4 de marzo a las 15:00 de forma extraordinaria.

  ONU: el secretario general de la ONU, Ban Ki-moon en un escueto comunicado, declaró que la crisis debe resolverse en medio de "el espíritu de diálogo y cooperación que ha caracterizado tradicionalmente" a los tres países, en sus relaciones.

  UE: Javier Solana, Alto Representante para la Política Exterior y de Seguridad Común de la Unión Europea, le pidió al presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe Vélez que se mantenga "calmado, contenido y moderado en sus mensajes". Luego, Uribe contactó al diplomático europeo para exponerle detalles de la crisis. Por su parte, el vicepresidente colombiano Francisco Santos se reunió con Solana en Bruselas el 5 de marzo.

  CAN: el Parlamento Andino, organismo de la Comunidad Andina, reunido en Lima emitió una declaración pidiendo mecanismos de diálogo entre Ecuador y Colombia, pidiendo que otros países se abstengan de intervenir, invocando el respeto a la soberanía de los países y condenando los actos terroristas.

Véase también
 Computadores de Raúl Reyes
 Operación Fénix
 Raúl Reyes
 Acuerdo humanitario
 Operación Emmanuel
 Conflicto armado en Colombia
 Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia
 Paz Sin Fronteras
 José Ignacio Chauvín
 Masacre del Táchira
 Crisis diplomática entre Colombia y Venezuela de 2010
Venezuela en el conflicto armado colombiano

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 Documentos que, según el gobierno Colombiano, involucran a Chávez y al gobierno ecuatoriano con las FARC.
 Declaración de antimilitaristas de Latinoamérica: No necesitamos otra guerra más, por Internacional de Resistentes a la Guerra

Notas
  por Claudia López.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Ronald Watlington lives homeless in Greensboro, and getting around isn't easy with knee problems and the blistering heat.
"Once I get hot it gets to the point where I can't get up," Watlington said.
And on top of that, he has narcolepsy, which can be especially dangerous in the heat.
"The narcolepsy is kind of scary because I don't get sleepy, I just go to sleep," he said.
But Watlington doesn't have to face the brunt of 90 degree weather this weekend, thanks to the International Resource Center in Greensboro.


Starting from 2.0.0 version (including beta) the AForge.NET Framework is published under LGPL v3 license. The only exception is the AForge.Video.FFMPEG component which is published under GPL v3 license, because it depends on the GPL build of the FFMPEG library. So be careful - if GPL license does not suite your project, don't use this component then.
All previous releases of AForge.NET Framework (1.x.x) are published under GPL v3 license.
If you are interested in none LGPL version of the AForge.NET Framework or you have any comments, issues, suggestion, please refer to the contacts page.


Genghis Cohen and Wise Sons: the Chinese Jewish Pop-Up That's Classically L.A.
A spread of Wise Sons brunch fare.
New York–style Chinese food with Jewish roots: Man, we love America. Genghis Cohen, the long-standing American Chinese restaurant on Fairfax, is hosting a pop-up brunch Dec. 17 with buzzed-about San Francisco–based Wise Sons Jewish Deli. The result? A meal that's seemingly incongruous, strangely comforting and decidedly hip. In a word, L.A.
The $40 prix fixe menu will feature schmaltz toast with chopped liver, Chinese chicken salad and pastrami fried rice. There will also be bialys and bagels, of course — all baked by Wise Sons, which has been receiving New York Times acclaim since its 2012 inception. And, because it wouldn't really be an L.A. brunch if there wasn't pepita pesto drizzled on something, cue delicate vegetable hash with poached eggs, finished with said pesto and za'atar.
You don't have to be a Genghis Cohen regular to recognize its type: plush pleather booths, dim lighting, red accent walls. There's a bit of Old Hollywood charm, along with self-conscious kitsch — a menu heading reads "Foo foo drinks from China." The original owners were Jewish, hence the "Cohen"; it follows that Krispy Kanton Knishes are on the menu, although the more traditional New York–Chinese plump, blistered egg rolls steal the show.
Nostalgia reigns supreme here, a quality that Marc Rose and Med Abrous were determined to preserve when they took over ownership in 2015. It seems somehow fitting, then, that they're collaborating with Wise Sons, which has garnered Bay Area attention for its traditional Jewish comfort food. Wise Sons co-owner and L.A. native Evan Bloom uses his grandparents' recipes, and the deli — with four locations and counting — makes its pastrami, pickles and cream cheese in-house.
Like any good story, this pop-up comes full circle on many levels. But if you can't make it, don't fret: There's perhaps no better time to experience the Jewish Chinese tradition than on Christmas, and you better believe Genghis Cohen will be open then.
740 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax; (323) 653-0640, genghiscohen.com.


Our special offers and destinations. Book your trip online now!
ERIMAFLYING provide tickets reservation facilities worldwide for different markets as oil & energy, maritime and business ones and it's very specialized with seamen fares. The partnership with the most important airlines, rail companies and shipping companies allows to Eto respond to markets demands and clients requests.
ERIMAFLYING offers to the companies advanced services, using the latest technologies to ensure the best rates on the market, all with extreme ease of the procedures. The focus pint of the service is continuous support throughout the trip (by phone and online facilities), which guarantees the traveler from any typical travel disadvantages.
ERIMAFLYING it's specializes in sports and wellness activities for individuals and groups. The agency has developed experience and expertise within the golf destination, offering its customers the opportunity to enjoy the most exclusive green: Mauritius, Caribbean, Abu Dhabi, Aruba, Marrakech, Agadir. We work with you to prepare an itinerary that suits your timeframe and budget and can take care of all your accommodation, golf and activity bookings to ensure you make the most of your holiday.
ERIMAFLYING supports clients to ensure fast and easy processing of their "travel documents" and provides assistance to embassies and board offices and therefore allows you to travel safely. Our newsletter distributes a 'Weekly Update' email alert which advises clients about important consular changes and issues.
A loyalty program offered by ERIMAFLYING to reward clients and provide special benefits.


text:
Q: How to exclude properties from serialization based on their values? To communicate with a web API, I have created a few classes which will be serialized to XML and sent to the API. The API only accepts these XMLs if they only hold properties with non-default values.
How can I leave out properties during serialization?
Suppose I have a class as follows (simplified example):
[XmlRoot("SomeData")]
public class SomeData
{
    [XmlElement("rangeX")]
    public int RangeX { get; set; }

    [XmlElement("rangeY")]
    public int RangeY { get; set; }

    [XmlElement("rangeZ")]
    public int RangeZ { get; set; }
}

An object which has a non-default value for RangeX and RangeY should thus be serialized to an XML which only holds tags for rangeX and rangeY.
I have found how to leave out null values, but this is not what I want - the default value could very well be different from null.
Thanks!

A: You can use the "secret" ShouldSerializeXxx() method:
public bool ShouldSerializeRangeX()
{
    return RangeX != someDefaultValue;
}

There are a ton of examples when you search for ShouldSerialize Default Value, it's just hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for.
Here is a link to help get you started : Defining Default Values with the ShouldSerialize and Reset Methods

A: You can gain full control on how the objects of your class are serialized when you implement the IXmlSerializable interface (only including the code to write the data, since that is your immediate question):
public class SomeData : IXmlSerializable
{
    public int RangeX { get; set; }

    public int RangeY { get; set; }

    public int RangeY { get; set; }

    public void WriteXml (XmlWriter writer)
    {
        writer.WriteStartElement("SomeData");
        if (RangeX != 0)
        {
            writer.WriteElementString("rangeX", RangeX.ToTring());
        }
        if (RangeY != 0)
        {
            writer.WriteElementString("rangeY", RangeY.ToTring());
        }
        if (RangeZ != 0)
        {
            writer.WriteElementString("rangeZ", RangeZ.ToTring());
        }
        writer.WriteEndElement();
    }

    public void ReadXml (XmlReader reader)
    {
        //Implement if needed
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    public XmlSchema GetSchema()
    {
        return null;
    }
}


text:
Pingry is committed to meeting the strength and conditioning needs of students, offering a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that helps athletes achieve their physical potential in the safest manner possible. We focus on developing complete athletes at Pingry, emphasizing physical and mental strength, cardiovascular training, as well as educating students on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
Access at Pingry to:
Greig Family Strength and Conditioning Center
Strength and Conditioning Staff
Fitness Education
Concussion Awareness / Prevention
Rehabilitative Training
Pingry's strength and conditioning center is located in the 45,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Miller A. Bugliari '52 Athletics Center, which opened in 2017. Some features of this fantastic facility include:
5,000 square foot fitness facility with cardiovascular and strength training equipment
Large, multi-sport, indoor practice area spacious enough for several teams to train at the same time
Space for training during the the off-season and summertime
GREIG FAMILY STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING CENTER USE POLICY
Upon entering the Miller A. Bugliari '52 Athletics Center, all patrons are required to check in at the Front Desk and must either show valid Pingry School ID, or be issued a visitor badge upon presentation of identification and processing through the Schoolgate Guardian system.
Only Pingry School students, faculty, and staff are permitted to use the Greig Family Strength and Conditioning Center. Alumni may use the Greig Family Strength and Conditioning Center, with special permission from the School, only after signing Pingry's Release & Waiver.
No other adults are permitted to use the Greig Center.
Mr. Douglas Scott
Athletics, Physical Education, Upper School
Director of Strength and Conditioning, Form VI Dean, Physical Education Teacher
Degree(s)
B.S., East Stroudsburg University
Mr. Scott, who joined Pingry in 1999, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S). He designs workouts for both male and female student athletes who compete on a variety of varsity and junior varsity athletic teams. Outside of Pingry, Mr. Scott is a personal trainer and has written a number of fitness-related articles and chapters. He is also a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (N.S.C.A). A triathlete, he completed the Lake Placid Ironman in the summer of 2018.
Mr. Michael Saraceno
Athletics, Operations, Physical Education, Upper School
B.S., William Paterson University
Mike Saraceno, Assistant Director of Operations, joined Pingry as a member of the strength and conditioning team. His newest role reflects the fact that he has been a crucial, and tireless, member of Pingry's COVID-19 response team, involved in contact tracing and general health/safety protocols. Mr. Saraceno is also a strategic partner with other departments in the School and is proud to have won the Woodruff J. English Faculty Award in 2021, recognizing his commitment to the Honor Code. Prior to Pingry, Mr. Saraceno served as Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at Villanova University and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Hartford.
All Form III (Grade 9) students are required to take Introduction to Physical Fitness, designed to develop students' basic understanding of the importance of physical fitness. A sample of topics covered in Pingry's Introduction to Fitness class include:
Muscular strength/injury prevention (including safe use of fitness center equipment)
Cardio-respiratory fitness
Mindfulness/yoga
Sleep and recovery
"For every one pound increase in neck strength, odds of concussion decreased by 5 %" —Dawn Comstrock, 2014 Youth Sports Saftey Summit
Pingry's Strength and Conditioning Staff prides itself on being innovators in preventative sports medicine. At the forefront of those efforts is developing exercises and programs to develop the muscles of the head, neck and upper back to better protect our student athletes from concussive forces associated with athletic competition. Athletes who participate in our neck strengthening program are less likely to sustain an injury.
When injuries inevitably occur, Pingry's Strength and Conditioning Staff works with students to design customized programs to help strengthen injured areas to get back in the game and avoid future injuries.
In addition to promoting the physical aspects of strength and conditioning, we teach the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. This includes proper nutrition, sufficient sleep, adequate recovery time, positive fitness habits, and stress management .
"Strength training is important because the development of muscle strength and tendon strength is our best preventative measure against sports-related injuries."
—Doug Scott, Director of Strength and Conditioning
Welcome to Pingry Strength

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Lorandi Silos India (P) Ltd" is a Joint-Venture between Lorandi Silos, Italy and Penguin Engineers, India, firmly believes in innovation and development.
Lorandi Silos Italy, have been working with stainless steel since 1952, originally with wine tanks, then containers for the chemical industry, then machinery for the food and chemical industries and more recently silos for bulk powders and granules.
We provide solutions for monolithic silos and overlapping ring silos for bio-plastic plants, recycling plants and plastic industries.
We also implement a certified quality system that bears witness to our commitment to seeking ever improced quality - tangible proof of our excellence as a leading Italian manufacturer with customers all over the world.
Penguin Engineers India, is a multi-faceted World-Class machine Manufacturer doing business since 1991 and celebrating Silver Jubilee year in 2016. We manufacture a wide range of innovative machineries for the Packaging and Rubber Hose Industries across the globe.
Penguin Engineers have received several prestigious awards from Indian Institute of Packaging, Vice President of India, E.E.P.C., F.I.T.E.I., etc., and have installed their machines in >1000 Industries in India and >100 Industries in >40 Countries since 25 years.


text:
RCCL Jewel of the seas Itinerary
Download entire Royal Caribbean, Jewel of the Seas cruise ship Itinerary in PDF file for season 2019-2020. Find out where the ship is located at the specific date from January till December, with arrival and departure times in port including current, past and future itineraries. Primarily the following sailing schedule is for the use of the Royal Caribbean crew members and their families, however, everyone is welcomed to share and use it. You can download year-round itineraries for all Royal Caribbean ships here. The link to download pdf schedule is at the end of this page.
Jewel of the Seas Sailing Schedule
30-Nov-2019 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 05:00-17:00
1-Dec-2019 Messina (Sicily), Italy 11:00-19:00
3-Dec-2019 Piraeus (Athens), Greece 07:00-19:00
4-Dec-2019 Santorini, Greece 07:00-19:00
5-Dec-2019 Suez Canal, Egypt 23:00
7-Dec-2019 Aqaba, Jordan 07:00-20:00
14-Dec-2019 Muscat, Oman 07:00-17:00
15-Dec-2019 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 14:00-24:00
18-Dec-2019 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 08:00-20:00
19-Dec-2019 Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates 08:00-18:00
25-Dec-2019 Doha, Qatar 08:00-18:00
26-Dec-2019 Mina Sulman, Bahrain 08:00-18:00
1-Jan-2020 Abu Dhabi, UAE 08:00-20:00
2-Jan-2020 Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates 08:00-18:00
4-Jan-2020 Muscat, Oman 07:00-17:00
5-Jan-2020 Dubai (Port Rashid), UAE 14:00-00:00
8-Jan-2020 Doha, Qatar 08:00-18:00
9-Jan-2020 Mina Sulman, Bahrain 08:00-18:00
10-Jan-2020 Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates 08:00-18:00
11-Jan-2020 Abu Dhabi, UAE 08:00-20:00
12-Jan-2020 Dubai (Port Rashid), UAE 08:00-00:00
18-Jan-2020 Muscat, Oman 07:00-17:00
22-Jan-2020 Doha, Qatar 08:00-18:00
23-Jan-2020 Mina Sulman, Bahrain 08:00-18:00
29-Jan-2020 Khasab, Oman 08:00-17:00
1-Feb-2020 Abu Dhabi, UAE 08:00-20:00
2-Feb-2020 Dubai (Port Rashid), UAE 08:00-00:00
5-Feb-2020 Doha, Qatar 08:00-18:00
6-Feb-2020 Mina Sulman, Bahrain 08:00-18:00
7-Feb-2020 Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates 08:00-18:00
10-Feb-2020 Dubai (Port Rashid), UAE 00:00-17:00
11-Feb-2020 Khasab, Oman 08:00-17:00
12-Feb-2020 Abu Dhabi, UAE 08:00-20:00
13-Feb-2020 Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates 08:00-18:00
15-Feb-2020 Muscat, Oman 07:00-17:00
19-Feb-2020 Doha, Qatar 08:00-18:00
20-Feb-2020 Mina Sulman, Bahrain 08:00-18:00
Visit other Royal Caribbean ships
Download the cruise ship itinerary in PDF File for an entire year at the links below.
jewel_of_the_seas_cruise_itineraries_2019.pdf
jewel_of_the_seas_cruise_ship_itineraries_2020.pdf


text:
Finland fails to adopt emissions trading laws
9 February 2006, source edie/Semple Fraser feature
Finland has been found to be in breach of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Directive because it has failed to transpose it into national law.
Case C-107/05, Commission v Finland
The ECJ gave judgement in the case of Commission v Finland (Case C-107/05) on 12 January 2006. Finland was held to be in breach of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Allowance Trading Directive (Directive 2003/87/EC) as had failed to transpose the Directive within its national legislation with regards to the province of Åland (Ahvenanmaa). The island province of Aland is situated between Sweden and Finland and enjoys local autonomy and demilitarized status by virtue of an international convention, implemented most recently by the Act on Aland Self-Government of 1951. While the islands are entirely Swedish-speaking, they remain governed by the Republic of Finland, with government being vested in the provincial council, consisting of delegates elected directly by Aland's citizens.
As the Directive was due to have been transposed by Member States by 31 December 2003, the Republic of Finland admitted that transposition of the Directive in respect of the province of Åland had been delayed and therefore the action by the Commission was well founded.
The full text of the judgement is available in French and Finnish at the following link:
http://curia.eu.int/
| Emissions trading | gas | greenhouse gas emissions


Updated for 2019. The Individual (or Solo) 401(k) plan is very similar to a Traditional 401(k) plan, only designed for business owners with no employees. Compared to the other types of retirement plans typically used by small business owners, the Solo 401(k) offers a higher contribution limit, tax-deferred growth, a wide array of investment options, and loan provisions. There is a lot to juggle as a business owner, but don't overlook the importance of having a solid investment management strategy and retirement plan.
The Individual or Solo 401(k) is only suitable for self-employed individuals or the owners of a small business (sole proprietors, partnerships, C and S corporations) with no other employees, unless that employee is a spouse. If you have other employees or expect to hire in the future, this likely is not the best option for you.
The combined total annual contribution cannot exceed $56,000 in 2019 ($62,000 if over age 50).
Also Read: Can I contribute to a Solo 401(k) if I'm covered by a retirement plan at work?
Your employee contribution will reduce your W-2 taxable income as an above-the-line deduction.
Flexibility – the Solo 401(k) allows discretionary contributions to be made by both the individual and the business.
As a business owner, you are always juggling multiple priorities and likely focused on short-term hurdles. It may be difficult to even think about having the cash flow to save for retirement, especially early on. One of the advantages of being an entrepreneur is the flexibility to do things independently and on your terms. Of course, with that comes the responsibility to do everything independently, including setting up and funding your inevitable retirement.
At Darrow, we strongly encourage business owners and entrepreneurs to start saving for their retirement today, no matter how far off it may seem. By taking advantage of one of the tax-advantaged plans available, you have the ability to reduce your taxable income today while investing for the future and potentially leaving a legacy for your family. Betting the farm on a liquidity event down the road is a dangerous proposition. The only real sure thing is that one day you will want to, or need to, retire.


For as long as people have looked at their reflections, they have frowned as they saw lines, wrinkles and blemishes appearing that weren't there just a few years ago. We can't turn back the clock, but now we can move the hands.
Sun and time can affect different parts of your skin so it is important to match your treatment with the specific problem for the best result. Each treatment is targeted at a different layer of the skin, so a remedy will need to be individually tailored to suit your needs.
The ideal skin laser treatment for removing fine facial lines and improving texture. This is a resurfacing procedure that replaces the upper sun-damaged layers where many of the visible effects of ageing are found with new, healthy skin. Pearl treats the entire face, leaving patients with a fresher, more youthful appearance.
This has been described as 'a facelift without surgery'. It is perfect for deeper lines and wrinkles, especially around the eyes and mouth. The skin laser treatment creates tiny holes, which then stimulates the growth of new skin, plumping it up from below.
Combines Pearl and Pearl Fractional to give you the best results when both deep and fine lines are present. Treat fine lines, deeper wrinkles and sun-aged skin all in one session.
Tired of loose skin under your chin, neck or abdomen? Tried dieting and exercise but still have that lower tummy roll? Then Titan is the treatment for you. Titan gently heats the layers deep below the surface to produce a tightening of these looser tissues.
Blemishes, such as age spots, redness and capillaries that can add years to your appearance, are easily managed with targeted lasers and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). Limelight is ideal for the red and brown discolouration of sun-damage or 'photoaging'. It removes the unsightly blotches, generalised redness and 'broken capillaries'.
Irregular pits, acne scars and 'pores' can be softened through treatments that use short pulses of laser. Although the procedure can feel quite gentle, the effects can be far reaching. It has been particularly useful in treating Rosacea, where many patients report that they have been able to stop all their medication after having Laser Genesis.
SSkin isn't just a surface; it has depth as well. The effects of ageing often involve multiple layers. By blending treatments that target different depths, using a combination of Titan to firm and plump the deeper layers, Laser Genesis to even out the surface pits and irregularities, and Limelight to remove skin discolouration, an optimal result can be achieved.
Every person is an individual and so no one treatment is right for everyone. Often we'll focus on just one problem, but at Cairns Skin Centre, we will do an individual assessment of you as a whole. This includes a medical history as well as examining your skin and facial structure. A customised treatment program can then be developed to perfectly target your problem areas and produce a result that harmoniously blends with the rest of you. At our clinic, we help Cairns and Port Douglas patients select the right skin laser treatments to suit their needs.
Many treatments do not have any 'down time' but the more vigorous therapies, such as resurfacing with Pearl or firming with Fractional and Fusion, do have a period of recovery of 4-7 days. The results however, make it worthwhile.
The laser technology used for rejuvenation has been tried and tested for many years. The results are consistent and predictable which is why these treatments have become so popular all around the world.
Our clinic offers skin laser treatments to Port Douglas and Cairns residents. Give us a call on (07) 4032 6788 to book a consultation.


Launch of Micius. Image courtesy of China's Ministry of Defence.
A team of Chinese scientists has just published a paper demonstrating how they successfully teleported a photon from a ground station at Ngari, Tibet, to Micius, one of China's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
Micius, the satellite used for China's Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), was launched last year to conduct quantum experiments and is the only satellite in orbit capable of generating entangled photons in space.
A first of its kind, this ground-to-satellite quantum teleportation is based on principles of quantum entanglement. It marks a world record in the distance achieved via quantum teleportation; in the case, between 1400 km, as compared to the 143 km achieved in the Canary Islands in 2012 .
This was done by generating polarization in a single photon in order to encode a quantum bit (qubit), i.e., a unit of quantum information that forms the backbone of quantum computing. Simultaneously, entangled photon pairs were created at Ngari and the Micius satellite, forming a quantum communication channel.
The polarized photon was then beamed up to the satellite Micius, which contains a receiver, by aiming the transmitter at the satellite at night, as quantum teleportation must take place in the dark.
The transmission took place by using a fibre connected to a telescope at Ngari, which pointed at the satellite at a precise angle. The beam was then received by a telescope in the satellite, also configured to point at Ngari. Throughout, procedures were put in place to minimize atmospheric interference and other factors which could affect such a sensitive experiment.
Quantum teleportation is a significant step towards establishing a space-based quantum communication network, which scientists laud as the most secure form of communication possible. Information sent via quantum entanglement cannot be decrypted, or hacked into, and is said to have tremendous implications in military and civilian technologies.
The QUESS project, which will conduct a number of experiments, will pave the way for an Asia-Europe intercontinental quantum key network by 2030, which was proposed by China in 2016.


Bit O'Heaven: Simply marvelous meals in historic Ogden.
I suspect the Wiki generation may not know what "two bits" means. I had to look it up myself. My dad used to give me two bits—25 cents—to "stop playing that goddamned guitar!" So, I knew Two-Bits equaled a quarter, four bits was 50 cents, eight bits was a dollar, and so on. I didn't know though that the "bit" was a unit of currency in the colonial period, worth an eighth of a dollar, or 12 1/2 cents. Hence, two bits equaled 25 cents. Ogden's Two-Bit Street Café is located on Historic 25th Street, thus the "Two-Bit" designation. Penny Allred took over the historic tavern a couple of years ago, and has quietly been cooking up a storm there ever since.
Entering Two-Bit Street Café is like entering a time warp. The eatery—which is a combination antique store, gourmet food market and deli, restaurant and bar—seems like it should have swinging saloon doors and a place to tie up your horse out front. At one time, it probably did. These days, we call restaurants like this eclectic. The truth is, it's just weird. And I mean that in the most flattering way. We need more weirdness in this world. Two-Bit Street is anti-trendy and the antithesis to uninteresting cookie-cutter restaurants. This place has personality.
The menu ranges from breakfast items like grits, biscuits and gravy, latkes, omelets and a tempting chorizo sausage and cactus (nopalitos) scramble to burgers, grilled sandwiches, soups, salads and entrees such as roast pork tenderloin and a wild salmon filet with creamy cucumber dill sauce. Rounding out the offerings with pastas and desserts, there is truly something for everybody at this kitschy café.
With the exception of a "Champagne" mimosa made with cheap Cook's bubbly at Sunday brunch, there's been nothing at Two-Bit Street Café that I haven't liked—loved, even. And, the $3 Bloody Mary made up for the less-than-memorable mimosa.
I've written elsewhere about the "Cuban Tampa Bay" sandwich ($7.95): ham, pork, Swiss cheese and Dijon mayo on pressed, Cuban-style bread that's baked in-house specifically for this sandwich. While perhaps not an "authentic" Cuban, this is a very tasty sammy. The same is true of the Mediterranean melt, a ciabatta bun stuffed with roasted red peppers, artichoke spread, spinach, olives, red onion and melted provolone. Priced at a reasonable $5.95, it also comes with thick and crunchy homemade potato chips.
Sibling appreciation aside, Bill is correct: Great stuff does spring from the tiny Two-Bit kitchen. For example, a big bowl of about three dozen steamed Little Neck clams ($10.95) is a wonderful starter. The clams are cooked in a classic wine and butter broth and served with a hot, freshly baked French mini baguette for soaking up on the savory sauce.
And, Bill is also right about the entertainment at Two-Bit Street, which can break out at any time in the form of co-owner Dayley's impromptu magic shows, which just add to the wonderful weirdness of this joint. Speaking of weird, the market/deli adjacent to the café proper features an odd array of gourmet foodstuffs, everything from curry pastes and exotic spices to cans of Café du Monde coffee, plus a deli counter where customers can order deli meats and cheeses or sandwiches.
I intentionally ordered my cheeseburger ($4.95 with chips) sans additional accoutrements, because I wanted to actually taste the meat. Allred even came to our table to verify that I'd ordered my burger "dry." It was an honest, delicious burger that tasted like one you'd grill at home, made with one-third pound of real beef, no filler, and served on a big, high-quality bun. It was simple, straightforward, and one of the best burgers I've had in this state.
Other good things include cheese tamales in a green chile sauce ($12.95), organic chicken breast with a citrus-Dijon glaze ($15.95), wild halibut in lemon-caper sauce ($18.95) and an Argentine-style "gaucho-grilled" sliced beef filet seasoned with smoked paprika and herbed chimichurri sauce ($19.95). But one of the best dishes we enjoyed was the tuna steak sandwich ($9.95). It was a thick, wild yellow fin tuna steak, bathed in a soy glaze and served with shredded cabbage and carrot, avocado, tomato and wasabi mayo. The fish was cooked just barely past rare: perfect. Sweet-potato fries round out that winning dish.
There's a full bar and good beer selection, but I recommend bringing your own wine. There were some adequate bottles on the small list—Ménage %uFFFD Trois and Guenoc, for example—but each good wine we attempted to order was out of stock, so we wound up with not-very-satisfying low-end vino. In fairness though, this is not the type of place I'd really expect to find an extensive wine list; probably should've gone with Guinness to begin with.
When you tire of trendy tapas and truffle oil, I recommend a palate-cleansing trip to Ogden, where Two-Bit Street dishes up fabulous, not fancy, food and friendly vibes.


text:
FEDWIRE
NASA cancels two contracts B udget constraints recently forced NASA to nix the $70 million High-Speed Processor 4 contract at the Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Md. The engineering support pact was to be used principally for the simulation of vehicles in flight. NASA also canceled Goddard's $40 million Code 710 Engineering Support contract which would have supported aerospace systems for the Space Technology Division.SBA blocks 8(a) contract awardsThe Small Business Administration last month rejected the General Services Administration's attempt to reinstate 8(a) vendor contracts worth up to $90 million each. GSA's now-disbanded Information Technology Service last year scrapped the contracts on the grounds that they violated small-business regulations. John Okay deputy commissioner of GSA's Federal Telecommunications Service said SBA's objections to GSA's plan concerned "technicalities of procurement laws and regulations.


New for 2017 from LanTac-USA is the E-BCG (Enhanced Bolt Carrier Group) in .308 and the Dragon 5.56 BQM Muzzle Brake.
The .308 E-BCG is the bigger brother of the popular 5.56mm size BCG. The E-BCG features a forward porting gas port and a smoothcam system. The .308 E-BCG MSRP's for $327.
The DGN556BQM, aka Dragon Muzzle Brake Quick Mount, is the same as the standard with the addition of lugs to accept the Gemtech Quick Mounted Suppressors. It will retail for the same cost as the standard Dragon Muzzle Break at $125.
LanTac-USA has a unique way of introducing their new Dragon Muzzle Brake with integrated Gemtech Quick Mount. Check out the video.


text:
Q: Unable to Boot After Cloning Windows Server Datacenter 2022 to a New SSD I have a Dell R720 server running Windows Server Datacenter 2022, and the disk containing the operating system has bad tracks that spread over time.
To migrate the OS, I used DiskGenius to clone all valid data sectors from the damaged disk to a new SSD. I then removed the old disk, inserted the new one into the same slot, and added it to the H710 RAID controller, but the system still couldn't boot from it, showing a "no boot device available" error. The cloning process had some errors due to bad tracks, but I expected the new SSD to be identical to the old one, including the boot partition.
Some additional information that might help to address this problem:

*

*the OS uses Legacy(BIOS) boot instead of UEFI boot.

*Both disks are SSDs with the same capacity. The old one is Samsung EVO 870 and the new one is Crucial MX500.

*The disk contains 4 primary partitions, one for boot, one for the OS, one for software, and one for database.


Though the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule has been in effect for almost eight months, the residential mortgage industry is still grappling with some of the changes it ushered in. One of those changes is an increased risk of litigation for disclosure violations. TRID arguably created new opportunities for borrowers to sue mortgage lenders. The extent of this new liability is unclear, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently provided a road map for consumer counsel looking to test the waters.


text:
Bright and Early is a 1918 American short comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. This short is preserved in the Library of Congress's collection.

Cast
 Billy West as A Bellboy
 Oliver Hardy as The Boss (credited as Babe Hardy)
 Rosemary Theby as His daughter
 Leo White as An honest crook
 Bud Ross as Old man
 Fay Holderness as A Maid
 Ethelyn Gibson (credited as Ethlyn Gibson)

Reception
Like many American films of the time, Bright and Early was subject to restrictions and cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 1, the entire scene of man taking small boy to bathroom and the child's actions outside the room, Reel 2, scene of man in women's underwear where man is peeking through keyhole, man and woman on floor where woman throws her legs up, and the woman on floor showing underwear dropping from her shoulders.

See also
 List of American films of 1918
 Oliver Hardy filmography

References

External links

1918 films
American black-and-white films
1918 comedy films
1918 short films
American silent short films
Silent American comedy films
American comedy short films
1910s American films