Our mission to try every single country on the planet's cuisine over the next few years.
Have to start somewhere! There was an Italian Riviera festival at The Opera House over the weekend.
A break in the weather and we were able to get there without too much trouble.
Just like the Italian Riviera!!
As Peter Fitzimons is fond of saying – Gotta love this city!
Less than 25 kilometres as the crow flies from the CBD, Church Point, opposite Scotland Island on Pittwater, north of Sydney.
Just beautiful. Idyllic setting; runabouts doing the Saturday morning shopping and run-around, lanyards slapping against masts, kayaks, fishing, walking, running, cycling.
A beautiful part of Sydney. Breakfast at the The Waterfront Store cafe and then a walk – what a great start to the weekend.
Next door, The Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years after court action regarding its redevelopment – prime site, someone's losing a lot of money.
Our youngest son turned 21 and we had a 21st birthday party at home last night.
Beer, wine, soft drink and party food, so a delicious, healthy breakfast and a great walk around Alexandria on Sunday morning was in order.
We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Bread and Circus, and then a walk around a few blocks before another coffee at The Substation – where we'll be back another time for breakie!
Fun fact: Historically, when a boat needed to have work done on the keel, the owner would float it up onto a sandy point at high tide and let the keel "kiss" the sand. Then when the tide went out, they could work on the boat.
We had to be up at Robyn's work at Pymble on Saturday morning, so we had breakie at the Vertical Espresso cafe at Kissing Point Rd in Turramurra and then went for a walk through Lane Cove National Park between Turramurra and North Epping.
Beautiful Sydney spring morning. Great start to the weekend.
Yes, I know it's a complete cop-out… but we had a lovely day in the Blue Mountains staying at my sister's house at Hazelbrook while she's away riding Route 66.
Visited the 3 sisters and Evans Lookout before High Tea at the Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath.
They have done a beautiful job refurbishing this hotel – it's obvious they've spent millions on the renovations and extensions.
Cold beer and champagne, beautiful live piano music in the background and delicious high tea.
Can highly recommend it. A great day out.


Here at James Baldwin Antiques we are experts in our trade and truly passionate about antique silver. From time-to-time we publish articles on modern and antique silver.
Georg Jensen: The name, the man.
If you would like any more details, or wish to discuss any subjects which are not covered by our articles, feel free to contact us for more details.


Although most people know that maintaining a healthy weight is important for their overall health, actually achieving weight loss and being at a healthy weight are different issues. This is evident in a study from the American Psychological Association, which noted that being overweight or obese is the number one health challenge facing the United States today.
Despite the fact that 68 percent of Americans are currently considered overweight or obese, according to study data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this health problem can be reversed. Even a modest weight loss of 5 or 10 pounds can provide immediate and long-term health benefits.
It's important to keep in mind that losing weight is not a race – whether you need to lose 20, 50 or even 100 pounds – and that the benefits of losing weight and being physically active go far beyond how you look in the mirror. It's a lifelong process to become a healthier you – for yourself and your family.
As always, consult your health care provider before beginning any weight loss program.
Reduces pressure on your joints. A 2005 study in Arthritis & Rheumatism of overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis found that losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees. In other words, losing just 10 pounds would relieve 40 pounds of pressure from your knees.
Weight loss is a tough endeavor, but no single action can provide as many positive effects on the body as weight loss. Its benefits for your body – helping you live longer, and pain and disease free – far outnumber the challenges you'll meet as you work toward your weight loss goal. Talk to your health care provider about starting your weight loss program to gain lasting, better overall physical and mental health.


In the time it takes you to read this blog post, around 300 hours of video content will have been uploaded to YouTube.
That is a lot of cute puppies and epic fails.
But there's also a swag of interesting content too - things like Ted Talks, conference presentations, interviews and personal journals (vLogs).
Video is a thriving medium and has become an integral part of how we learn, teach, socialize, entertain and generally leave our mark on the world.
Yet, despite its ubiquity, relatively few researchers are embracing video as an analytical tool or taking advantage of it as a rich reserve of qualitative data.
This may be because the idea of handling and analyzing video seems too challenging and it's an uncomfortable departure from the more traditional approach of working with interview transcripts, surveys and observational field notes.
This post drags video into the spotlight and suggests 4 ways you could consider using it in your next research project.
During a qualitative interview, you can use video to build rapport with participants and to foster in-depth discussion and reflection.
This idea isn't completely new.
For decades, social scientists have been using photos, paintings or other images to stimulate conversation in an interview setting - a technique known as photo-elicitation.
But video takes things a step further and offers a fresh perspective.
Rather than reacting to a static image, participants can instead respond to what they see and hear as events unfold.
For example, in their study, Wasting the doctor's time, researchers (Henry & Fetters, 2012) used video-elicitation methods to explore the interaction between patients and doctors in a primary healthcare setting.
They videotaped 36 patient-doctor consultations and then used the video as a talking point in follow-up patient interviews.
Instead of relying on memory, the patients could watch the video and more accurately discuss what they were feeling at different points in the consultation.
Video elicitation techniques are also useful when working with children. For example, you might use video clips from popular movies or cartoons to inspire discussion around a topic.
Videography is the audio-visual equivalent of field notes and observations – it involves filming people as they go about activities in all kinds of settings; from operating theatres and factory floors to street markets and art galleries.
Education researchers lead the pack in the use of video for analytic purposes – mostly because they recognize it as the best way to capture classroom dynamics and the complexities that surround the collaborative construction of knowledge.
The best part about video as primary data is that multiple researchers can analyse it repeatedly, looking for different things at each pass – in their book, Video in Qualitative Research, Heath et al describe this fine-grained scrutiny as "akin to the effect of the microscope in biology".
Traditional field notes are often criticized for their lack of transparency - how do we know you captured a situation accurately? Video can go some way to clearing this up because it offers a more multifaceted record of what took place. It's not totally objective (you choose what and how to record) but it's getting closer.
As with other forms of participant data, you'll need to carefully consider issues of consent and privacy before using the material and publishing your findings.
Are you looking to prioritize your participant's perspective and remove yourself (as much as possible) from the research equation?
Video diaries can help you get there.
The researchers chose this approach because it helped to address the power dynamic that comes into play when adults interview children. They were also confident that contemporary Danish children were familiar with and comfortable using video technology.
This type of participatory research puts the participant in the front seat and can yield insights that would be impossible to attain using other methods.
In his article YouTube: using third party video as research data, Eric Laurier makes a plea for human geographers to make better use of the material available on YouTube.
He suggests that "found materials are just as valid and informative about the socio-spatial organising of the world as interview or focus group materials".
I like this idea of 'found data' – is it ok to start with an interesting dataset and work backwards to a research question?
No matter what kind of human interaction you're interested in, whether it's how patients recover from trauma or the nature of police-public encounters – you're sure to find relevant content on YouTube. You should also consider the comments that accompany the videos, they can offer additional insights.
Since YouTube data is in the public domain, issues around consent and privacy may be less contentious but you'll need to check-in with your review board and make concrete decisions about how to handle the challenges.
And in terms of a literature review or getting to grips with a topic, it's difficult to ignore YouTube as a repository of potentially useful secondary data.
NVivo is a qualitative data analysis tool that can help you work with videos.
It provides easy-to-use features for transcribing, annotating and coding your video content.
You can choose to import videos directly into a project, link to videos stored on your computer or work with videos from YouTube.
Download a free trial and try it for yourself.
Do you work with video? If so, we'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Henry SG, Fetters MD. Video Elicitation Interviews: A Qualitative Research Method for Investigating Physician-Patient Interactions. Annals of Family Medicine. 2012;10(2):118-125. doi:10.1370/afm.1339.
Heath, C., Hindmarsh, J., & Luff, P. (2010). Video in qualitative research. Sage Publications.


As part of our continuous investment in the latest vehicle servicing equipment and training, Bridgend Motor Group's service centres now have Bosch Injector Testing expertise and equipment on site.
With Bosch injector testing, we can test and clean a wide variety or diesel injectors with a print out of the final diagnostic. This allows us to carry out on site testing of individual injectors with a potential to save our customers £££'s.
We can carry out testing from £33inc vat per injector.
This service is available to both trade and private customers.


Big win this for Ireland, they never let Scotland to get away. Slow orthodox bowling of Dockrell and Stirling did the trick for Ireland as they gave away only 26 runs and took 3 wickets between themselves in five overs. Nevertheless,Scotland will have another chance tomorrow as these teams will meet again at the same venue. Till tomorrow - dag and tot morgen.
Chase to Budge, 1 run, that came in to him,he manages to get some bat on to it. So just 2 runs off that last over as Ireland win this by 46 runs !


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NeoDocto Foundation to spread awareness of Malaria Eradication among the student population
NeoDocto is using many mediums and reaching many sections of the population to educate and spread awareness of Malaria Eradication in India. In Nagaland, Mr. Madhukar Sanneerappa, NeoDocto's CEO met another well-known faculty among the student population to ignite the urgency to eradicate malaria.
Manhattan, New York – May 1st, 2018 – Neodocto's CEO and Global President met the principal of Don Bosco College, Father Dr. Suresh Padmanabhan Innocent to educate students about dangerous complications and different ways malaria can spread in the community. He later spoke about various preventive measures, early diagnoses, and treatment options available in India.
"As we all know that children are our future generation, so it is important for our generation to educate our younger generation," Mr. Madhukar said. He further added that "it is indeed our responsibility to safeguard our little ones from this deadly disease."
Father Dr. Suresh Padmanabhan Innocent said that "Mr. Madhukar, The Global President of NeoDocto has rightly understood the importance of educating our students and I completely agree with his strategies. I also congratulate him on this great initiative and wish him the very best in the future. He assured us that he would educate his students by explaining the severe effects of malaria during classroom sessions.
Don Bosco College is one of the prominent colleges in the state of Nagaland. Father Dr. Suresh Padmanabhan Innocent believes that today's education must be much more than just acquiring knowledge. He says "It is the acquisition of knowledge and skills, building character and improving the employability of our young talent, the future leadership." So, he motivates his students to participate in different extra-curricular activities and even to serve the local community in every way possible.
Mr. Madhukar talked to the Principal that there is a reduction in Malaria Deaths in Nagaland in recent years, due to the initiatives taken by the state government. However, there is much more to do to completely eradicate it from India. He further explained that just by avoiding stagnant water, the breeding of mosquitos can be prevented, thus reducing malaria significantly. He told that NeoDocto's Malaria Eradication Program will adopt various media like TV, Radio, Internet, and Articles to create a greater impact on the people.
The principal showed his tremendous interest in the malaria eradication program and promised to educate his students about malaria eradication and its importance. The CEO of NeoDocto also expressed his interest to visit more educational institutions to spread awareness about Malaria awareness among the future generation of society.
About NeoDocto Foundation:
NeoDocto Foundation provides excellent support to society through many educational activities. It also offers a helping hand by creating equal opportunities to build a healthy world. The organization and the staff believe that giving back something to the people is very important and if that is healthy living, then that is the best one can do for society. NeoDocto is designed to create small ecosystems between caregivers and care receivers in the community to help each other forever. It operates in 81 countries and is headquartered in New York, United States of America.
For more information, please visit https://neodocto.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Neoliberalism and social work: facing the challenges
Steve Rogowski
by Dr Steve Rogowski, a social worker (children and families) with a local authority in NW England. His new book Critical Social Work with Children and Families is publishing this month.
Neoliberalism has impacted significantly on social work over recent decades. In particular, the profession has been subjugated to the demands of managerialism with its focus on ensuring practitioners complete bureaucracy speedily so as to ration resources and assess/manage risk.
Neoliberalism itself is a political ideology/philosophy which aims to transform the welfare state and in turn social work by liberating markets and corporate capital from the constraints of post-war social democracy (Clarke J. 2004 Changing Welfare, Changing States: new directions in social policy London: Sage). Processes of privatization and marketization now dominate, with the ideal of social citizenship being eroded in favour of incentivizing employment and abolishing so-called welfare dependency. New inequalities and vulnerabilities have been created, with, for example, the Welfare Reform Act 2012 introducing drastic benefit cuts to the most vulnerable. The forms of social support from the state, not least by and through social workers, have been and are being vastly reduced, and involve an authoritarian turn.
Those in need have to be self-responsible; if they get into in difficulties they have to rely on themselves, family, friends or charity (the emergence of food banks being a prime example) rather than the state. That is, unless they are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others, in which case they are dealt with harshly. Such authoritarian stances can be seen in relation to social work with children and families, particularly child protection/safeguarding, whereby parents are increasingly told to change their behaviour and lifestyles or face the threat of losing their children.
As indicated, within organizations social work policy and practice is dominated by managers who shape the daily experience of social work. They control what social workers do and how (and often when), demanding that social workers exercise control over resources and in turn users. Rather than engaging in relational work, let alone anything more radical or critical, social workers are forced into being 'people processors' or 'e-technicians', inputting data onto computer templates.
Nevertheless, and despite real challenges, critical social work is both possible and necessary, simply because otherwise the way is left open for those who support the status quo. Such practice, often involving quiet challenges to managerial diktats, can combine the role of protection with prevention (Stepney P. (2006) 'Mission Impossible: Critical practice in social work' BJSW 36:8 1289-307). It also provides practitioners with a means for critical engagement with the real issues that lie at the root of social injustice, namely growing inequality in the neo-liberalised world. Additionally, it includes approaches that resist pressures for more authoritarian control.
In brief, practitioners need to work individually with users and act collectively so as to challenge inegalitarian social relations. The British Association of Social Workers, (perhaps) the nascent College of Social Work, and the Social Work Action Network, trade unions and political parties are obvious examples of where collective action can occur. More broadly, the anti-capitalist/globalisation protests, including the Occupy movement, have a role to play. All such endeavours help ensure that critical social work remains true to its social justice and emancipatory potentials.
Critical Social Work with Children and Families is available with 20% discount from www.policypress.co.uk
by	Steve Rogowski
PODCAST: How to use social work theory in practice
Social workers crossing borders
Social forms of care: changing relationships of support
Valuing young people, valuing grassroots youth work
Marx at 200 in Critical and Radical Social Work


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Conservatives need John James to serve, again
Posted by Adam · June 26, 2019 10:05 AM
Add your reaction Share
John James announced he will run for Senate in Michigan! This is the biggest recruit for 2020 for the GOP!
James graduated West Point. Army Ranger. Apache Helo pilot. Multiple tours in Iraq. He is the real deal. Democrats are nervous about Michigan.
We have completed the first video ad for James. We edited together a speech he made about bringing America back to its golden days. He is inspiring. Watch, listen and I guarantee you will have goose bumps. Take a look at it here.
Read on for more info about James.
Source: Washington Examiner
James has already served his country. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a former Army combat pilot. In 2018, James was defeated in his race against Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. — a throwaway race in which he performed unexpectedly well. But 2020 shouldn't be about what James has done before, but rather what he can do now.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw: Dems are doing less than Mexico to solve border crisis
Posted by Adam · June 26, 2019 9:54 AM
Dan Crenshaw is the perfect spokesperson to counter the radical Democrats lying about the border situation. He clearly lays out the facts and the issues.
Crenshaw is a key voice on this issue and with Democrats becoming more radical by the day it is more crucial than ever to have clear, sober analysis like Crenshaw is doing here. These are the arguments and debates the GOP must win.
Read on for more of his op-ed.
By Rep. Dan Crenshaw
Last month, 144,000 people were arrested at our southern border. Many of these people were not trying to escape the Border Patrol but were turning themselves in. Why?
Because our asylum process is laughably easy to take advantage of.
Coming Soon: New Candidate - Brig. General who fought Taliban
We have a very exciting announcement coming soon. More military veterans are running for Congress so we are working overtime doing our research for endorsements.
The most exciting candidate is Brigadier General Don Bolduc, who announced his candidacy in New Hampshire.
Retired Brigadier General Bolduc, 57, who was one of the famed "horse soldiers" who rode alongside the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, announced his Senate run in the VFW Hall in Concord, New Hampshire on Monday morning. He will be taking on two-term Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
Expect to see and hear much more about this candidate and the race for Senate. He gives conservatives a good chance to pick up another Senate seat. He has spent his time since retirement working on veterans issues like PTSD, and suicide. He is the real deal. Read on for more info...
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Anti-Sanctuary Bill Into Law
This story is a reminder of just how important elections can be. DeSantis won the Florida Governor election by less than 1%. Remember his radical opponent conceded and then abruptly changed his mind and tried to steal the election.
Well the consequences are here. Ron DeSantis pushed for and signed the anti-sanctuary bill, keeping his state safe from criminal illegal immigrants. His popularity has surged after signing the bill. But guess who isn't happy? The mainstream media and his radical opponents.
The Democrat was on record saying he wanted to make the entire state of Florida a sanctuary for criminal illegals. This is the consequences of elections. Floridians are safer today because Ron DeSantis won a few thousand more votes and your support helped him!
Source: The Daily Caller
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation into law Friday that bans "sanctuary cities" in the state, fulfilling a pledge he made while on the campaign trail.
Senator Joni Ernst kicks off Senate Campaign with Nikki Haley!
Conservative favorite Nikki Haley joined Senator Joni Ernst to kick off her 2020 Senate campaign in a "Roast and Ride." Nikki Haley will be a sought after figure on the campaign trail in 2020 after an outstanding term as UN Ambassador. She is in high demand and will play a major role in helping conservative women keep these seats and hopefully win more.
Remember Senator Ernst has a long record of accomplishment herself. She spent decades in the Iowa Army National Guard, retiring as Lt. Colonel.
Iowa will be a crucial state to keep the Senate seat and win the Presidency. Democrats made inroads in Congress in 2018 so the GOP must hold Iowa to keep the Senate.
One Democrat who announced and is a favorite is a woman who had to suspend her campaign for Congress two years ago because of allegations of election fraud. Democrats are going to have to do a lot better than that to beat Joni. Read on for more from Joni and Nikki Haley.
Is Dan Crenshaw the GOP's Answer to the Democratic 'Freshman Class'?
This is a very interesting interview with Dan Crenshaw. He is a leader in speaking clearly to young conservatives and making the argument against the Democrat socialists. Crenshaw is going to be a very important spokesperson for conservatives in 2020 and beyond.
Source: National Review
Dan Crenshaw is perhaps ideally suited to weigh in on the increasingly socialist disposition among young Americans. To the extent that the Republican party has managed to find a compelling answer to the sudden popularity of the Democratic rising stars who willingly place themselves on the far Left, it is best exemplified by the social-media savvy Crenshaw, who first skyrocketed to national attention after SNL comedian Pete Davidson mocked him for his eyepatch — which Crenshaw wears after having lost his eye in an IED attack in Afghanistan.
Maxine Waters, Keith Ellison Attend Louis Farrakhan Event
Posted by Adam · February 20, 2018 10:21 AM
Democrats' Farrakhan Problem Just Became A Campaign Issue
It was recently revealed Obama as Senator had a meeting including a smiling photo with Louis Farrakhan
Waters attended a Nation of Islam Convention where Louis Farrakhan defended Palestinian suicide bombers
The Nation of Islam believes white people are inherently inferior to black people
Farrakhan is an anti-Semite who called Jews "Satanic" and said Hitler was "a very great man"
Waters' convention appearance is just the latest tie to emerge between Democrats and the Nation of Islam.
Keith Ellison, #2 at the DNC and a favorite of Bernie Sanders, has attended several events with Farrakhan
Keith Ellison was a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and defended Farrakhan against charges of anti-semitism
Army Captain, Combat Vet John James Running for Senate
Posted by Adam · November 28, 2017 4:07 PM
John James could be the future Republicans have been waiting for
Source: Washington Examiner - http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-james-could-be-the-future-republicans-have-been-waiting-for/article/2638116
By Salena Zito
DETROIT — John James emerges with confidence from a former Detroit elementary school that has been transformed into a charter high school in the northwest side of the city. It is a stride any parent would hope to see in a son or daughter graduating from this school, founded by Jalen Rose, a former NBA player and member of the University of Michigan's legendary "Fab 5" squad.
Outside the leafy campus of Jalen Rose Leadership Academy High School, parents wait for their children to emerge as a handful of students play on the school's clay basketball court. James, a member of the school's board, has just finished a board meeting, to discuss his decision to run for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.
BUSTED: Steelers' Head Coach Who Criticized Army Ranger Held Fundraiser For Hillary, Donated Heavily To Obama
Posted by Adam · September 29, 2017 2:16 PM
"We're not going to play politics."
Source: Daily Wire
Steelers' Head Coach Mike Tomlin held a high-end fundraiser in 2016 for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at his home with ticket prices reportedly costing over $30,000.
Tomlin hosted the event with his wife on June 14 with supporters required to pay $33,400 to meet Clinton — those who couldn't afford to pay that amount to meet a woman claiming to represent the middle class were given the option of simply paying
Congress Threatens to Defund UN over Anti-Israel Vote
Posted by Adam · December 23, 2016 4:34 PM
Congress is right to act on the UN once Trump takes office. This is an organization that gives voice to the worst values the world over. The same week as terrorists strike Europe again, Coptic Christians are bombed in their churches, a once thriving city of Aleppo is completely destroyed, the UN spends its time condemning Israel, the only democracy that protects freedom of religion. Imagine if the UN got their way, Jerusalem would be stripped of all Christian and Jewish history and the Holy Land would be run by a terrorist state. Thanks President Obama and the UN. -Nathaniel Jones
Source: Breitbart
Ambassador Samantha Power, who represents the United States at the UN Security Council, sat mum on Friday when the chair called for votes against an anti-Israel resolution declaring Israeli settlements illegal. But she raised her hand high when the chair called for abstentions.
She, and her boss, President Barack Obama, could have voted no, in keeping with precedent, and in deference to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump. Instead, they let the resolution pass.
In anticipation of Obama's suspected — now confirmed — abstention, members of Congress threatened to de-fund the UN. The U.S. accounts for some 22% of the UN's budget, supporting a large, comfortable bureaucracy and its various programs.
Edward Schneider just joined.


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Q: Why does input from multiple Sockets not update UI properly? Notebook code: http://pastebin.com/hNgjr4QY , Server code: http://pastebin.com/J5hnz2mu
I am mostly interesested in notebook part of code:
private class ClientHandler implements Runnable
{
    public void run()
    {
        String message = null;

        try {
            bufferedReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(socket.getInputStream()));

            while ((message = bufferedReader.readLine()) != null)
            {
                if (!message.equals(""))
                {
                    textArea.setText(message);
                    textArea.setCaretPosition(textArea.getDocument().getLength());
                }
            }
        } catch (IOException ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

and
public void run()
    {
        String message = null;

        try {
            BufferedReader bufferedReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(socket.getInputStream()));

            while ((message = bufferedReader.readLine()) != null)
            {
                for (ComputerConnections ccc: comCon)
                {
                    ccc.printWriter.println(message);
                    ccc.printWriter.flush();
                }
            }
            bufferedReader.close();
        } catch (IOException ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

well, the point of the program is to allow as many users to connect, and after they can all write in THE SAME notepad, and the program should update it accordingly, well and it seems it is behaving weird. At first it updates fine, but then it just suddenly stops, and works every few key pressess!

A: I suspect this is a UI problem and not a socket problem you are describing (Although there are other problems with this code).  This would be easy to figure out, just put some System.out.println() debug lines instead of the UI writes.
If that's the case, you should use the EDT thread so make changes to GUI so that the only thread that makes changes to GUIs is that one and that one alone to avoid interference, like so
    SwingUtilities.invokeLater(
        new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                textArea.setText(message);
            }
        }
    );

UIs are famously hard to make multi-threaded so the best way around this is to queue up updates that are handled by one UI thread (in Javas case, the EDT - Event Dispatch Thread).

A: I'd use a SwingWorker for this kind of processing.
Let all sockets publish the data, and then update the GUI in the process method.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Health|Rapid Malaria Tests Work, but With Unexpected Drawbacks
https://nyti.ms/2vds3CV
Rapid Malaria Tests Work, but With Unexpected Drawbacks
A health care worker taking a blood sample of a mother to test for malaria in Lagos, Nigeria. A study found that rapid tests have greatly improved treatment, but that many people who tested positive still did not get the proper drugs or were overprescribed antibiotics.Credit...Pius Utomi Ekpei/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
Rapid diagnostic tests have greatly improved malaria treatment in the last decade, but they also had some unexpected bad consequences, a large new study has found.
As hoped, the tests — which use only a drop of blood and provide results in about 15 minutes — substantially decreased how many patients with fever were incorrectly given or sold malaria drugs when they did not have malaria.
But the number of patients who got antibiotics instead shot up, even if they were not tested for bacterial infections — a practice that encourages the emergence of drug-resistant germs.
The study also found that a disturbing number of people who tested positive for malaria still did not get malaria drugs. At five of eight testing sites in Africa, more than 20 percent did not.
"This surprised us, but we don't have a lot of insight into why it happens," said Dr. Heidi Hopkins, a malaria diagnostics expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and one of the study's authors.
Drug shortages were uncommon at most study sites, she said. But it is also possible that nurses inured to shortages might have held back free drugs from patients who were not seriously ill or who appeared able to buy the drugs elsewhere.
The study, published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, looked at more than 500,000 patient visits to rural or urban clinics in five African countries and Afghanistan.
Over all, 75 percent of the patients got malaria drugs or an antibiotic, regardless of their test results.
In most sites, between 40 to 80 percent of those who did not have malaria got antibiotics, even though the majority probably had viral infections, which antibiotics do not help. The best treatment is usually rest, fluids and a mild fever-reducing drug.
One advanced study in Zanzibar looking into all causes of fever found that only about 22 percent were bacterial, Dr. Hopkins said. But complex testing in poor countries is impossible, so doctors and nurses often offer antibiotics to sick patients just in case the cause is bacterial.
"We definitely can't blame them for doing that," Dr. Hopkins said. "Some of these patients are mothers who bring their kids in from 20 kilometers away on motorcycles or in minibuses. You can certainly understand why a health care worker would be reluctant to just send them home with a pat on the head and advice to take paracetamol and drink fluids."
The study was part of a long effort paid for by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to investigate how artemisinin, a malaria drug invented in China and introduced about 15 years ago, could be widely used — but not overused.
Malaria experts hope to slow down the emergence of artemisinin-resistant strains. Deaths from malaria have dropped 60 percent since 2000, partly because the drugs are so effective — but resistant parasites are turning up, especially in Southeast Asia.
In 2010, the World Health Organization strongly endorsed rapid malaria tests, and now more than 300 million are used each year.
Although the ideal way to diagnose malaria is still to examine stained blood under a microscope, many clinics lack microscopes and trained staff.


Just a hint of the ruby crown shown above, and you can see more of it below. It raises that ruby crown in a crest when defending territory and attracting a mate.
I recently resupplied my bird seed stock with some no-waste premium bird seed from my local bird supply store Feed the Birds and more. I've been surprised to see the Lesser Goldfinch eating it, as they have only been at the thistle feeder before now. I was also shocked to see this Ruby-crowned Kinglet eating the premium bird seed.
Cleaned me out of peanuts again!
Great shots Robert, I am jealous of the red cap, I never seem to get that shot.
I once met an AZ birder who had been birding for decades and had never seen the ruby crown of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Now seeing and photographing the hidden crowns on kingbirds...that would be awesome!
Thx Mia! I still need to make an appointment with you and Ron for a day of bird photography together so I can learn from the real pros.
You just never know who'll show up for dinner!!
Expecting the unexpected is definitely part of the joy of birding.
I shoot with an Olympus e620 with a 150mm lens. These birds shown in today's post allow me to sit pretty close to the feeders and brush pile without any sort of camouflage. Interestingly enough, the House Sparrows and House Finches will not come around when I sit that close. I'm already planning my Spring backyard bird photo shoots hoping for close-ups of Lazuli Buntings and Black-headed Grosbeaks. For them, I will definitely have to be in a blind and I plan to rig up some natural-looking perches as I prefer them over feeder shots. But, I'll take a good feeder shot any day.
Gode billeder af de smukke fugle.
I love them all! Wonderful photographs of your beautiful backyard birds! I've never seen a Ruby-crowned Kinglet eating birdseed before. Lucky you!
That Western Scrub Jay looks so much like the Florida Scrub Jay we have here. Wonderful birds and thoughts!
Great Shots Rob! I can't get enough of the Juncos and Chickadees--looking forward to the Buntings too.


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Brewery Hebendanz
Brewery Neder
Brewery Eichhorn
Brewery Greif
Cellar Forest
Beer history
The brewery Josef Greif was founded in 1848 in the Sattlertorstraße 18. Brewing was initially in the former communal brewery in the Wiesentstraße. In 1952 the brewing company was relocated to the Serlbacher Str. 10 outside the old city center! Today, the brewery Greif produces over 15 different beers and has an annual output of about 20,000 hectoliters. In 2017, the brewery comprehensively renovated and extended its storage cellar, now it can store 300,000 liters of beer there.
Hell, Zwickl, Schlöbberla, Edelpils, Lager, Light Beer, Wheat Light, Hefeweizen Hell, Amber Wheat, White Dark, Capitulare, Hopfstar, Greif Bock, Annafest Beer, Christmas Beer, Light (alcohol free), Hefeweizen Hell (alcohol free)
The brewery Josef Greif was founded in 1848 in the Sattlertorstraße 18. Brewing was initially in the former communal brewery in the Wiesentstraße. In 1952, the brewing company was relocated to the Serlbacher Str. 10 outside the old town center, where Josef Greif had already acquired an ice house with a larger plot of land from the Schindler brewery in 1928 - located on the then existing Ludwig-Donau-Main canal. Here was the opportunity to build a new brewery building, which could be extended in the long term as needed. Also a new brewery restaurant was attached to the enterprise in the Serlbacher road. After the death of Josef Greif, before the completion of the new brewery, his widow, daughter and son-in-law Erwin Schuster, took over the business. Christian Schuster and his son, also brewmaster, are now running the business. With an annual output of approximately 20,000 hectoliters of beer, the brewery Josef Greif is currently the Forchheimer brewery with the largest production volume. However, as Christian Schuster emphasizes, the pure volume development is not decisive for the further operational success, but rather a healthy cost structure, which depends essentially on the investment in new technologies, as well as a high quality of the offered services. The beer in the bottles with the red mythical creature in the coat of arms can be found in many shops and beverage markets in the region and is of course also on the Greif's basement and some other beer cellars in Forchheimer Kellerwald drunk.
In recent years, the brewery Greif has received a number of awards with their various beers, such. Eg Worldbeer Award 2017, European Beer Star 2017, Craft Beer Award 2016.
A new highlight is the Hopfstar: The first Forchheimer "craft beer" is a natural Kellerbier. It is brewed according to old craftsmanship and cold-hopped with five different hop varieties, including Mandarina Bavaria hops and Ariana organic hops from Lilling in the Franconian Switzerland.
In the brewery restaurant you may bring your own snack! There is also a Bavarian bar. That is, the beer is tapped by hand from the peasant barrel.
Worldbeer Award 2017
Festbier (Gold), Lager (Gold), Weisse Dunkel (Bronze) Hell, (Bronze)
European Beer Star 2017
Festbier (Gold), Weisse Dunkel (Silber), Hell (Bronze)
Mon + Fri 8.30 am - 11.00 pm
Wed 8.30 am - 9.00 pm
Tue, Thu, Sat 8.30 am - 2.00 pm
Serlbacher Straße 10
info@brauerei-greif.de
www.brauerei-greif.de
© 2022 Walk of Beer
Accept all Save Refuse all


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COVID UPDATES: Good and Bad News in Last Few Days of 2020
Ontario is set to enter lockdown soon and hospitals have been warned of burden for front-line health-care workers in the face of new case numbers. Meanwhile news of an upcoming vaccine has given both hope and concern for residents across Canada.
Big news came out yesterday as we found out that Ontario will go into a lockdown on December 26 once again, forcing almost all non-essential businesses to close. The lockdown has been announced in an attempt to reduce COVD-19 cases, which continue to rise.
The new lockdown will start at 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day and will last until January 23 across all southern Ontario regions, announced Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
"The number of daily cases continue to rise putting our hospitals and long-term care homes at risk," said Premier Ford. "We need to stop the spread of this deadly virus. That's why, on the advice of Dr. Williams and other health experts, we are taking the difficult but necessary decision to shut down the province and ask people to stay home. Nothing is more important right now than the health and safety of all Ontarians."
Ontario has reported another 2,202 cases of COVID-19 today (December 22). The number of sick patients in intensive care has reached its highest so far across any point during the pandemic. In Quebec, there have been reports of 2,183 new cases of COVID-19, with hospitalizations having risen to 1,055.
The province-wide shutdown will be similar to the one we had back in March, with only essential businesses such as pharmacies and grocery stores remaining open.
During the lockdown indoor public events and social gatherings will not be allowed except for those in the same household. It's difficult news to hear in the few days that remain before Christmas.
"This was not an easy decision before the holidays, but we have reached a tipping point," said Minister Christine Elliott in the announcement.
"We continue to see sharp increases in hospitalizations and occupancy in intensive care units is reaching concerning levels. Urgent action must be taken to prevent our health care system from becoming overwhelmed. By implementing a Provincewide Shutdown, we can work to stop the virus in its tracks, safeguard hospital capacity, and save lives."
As of today, there have been more than 77 million cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide, with more than 43 million cases considered recovered or resolved. Source: Database maintained by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Toronto's Mayor, John Tory, told reporters yesterday he was thankful to Ford for ordering the province-wide shut down, emphasizing the need to protect residents' health.
"This kind of strong stand against the viruses is needed to save lives and to protect the health of each and every one of the residents of our city and our province," Tory said.
"I support Premier Ford's decision and I thank him for making the difficult but absolutely necessary decision that they made today."
The call for the lockdown comes shortly after Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced on December 15 the good news that (after successful negotiations and depending on Health Canada's authorization of the vaccine) Canada will likely soon be able to access 168,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020.
"The Government of Canada continues to do everything possible to protect Canadians from COVID-19. This includes securing the world's most extensive portfolio of vaccines and taking all necessary measures to ready the country to receive doses once they are authorized for use," said Anand in the announcement.
Currently, the only vaccine authorized for the prevention of COVID-19 in Canada is the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada approved the vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech on December 9. Vaccinations started to be administered to health care workers providing care in hospitals and long-term care homes last week.
The release of the vaccine is part of Ontario's Phase One of a three part implementation plan to receive, store and administer COVID-19 vaccines to Ontario residents as soon as possible.
"We are ready to receive these vaccines as soon as they become available thanks to the excellent work of our health care officials and General Hillier and the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force," said Premier Ford.
Health Canada continues to review the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and secure agreements with other companies for their vaccine candidates.
Over the weekend Health Canada received some final documents from the U.S. based biotech firm Moderna. This news suggests that the announcement of Health Canada authorizing its second COVID-19 vaccine will come soon.
The doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are part of the up to 76 million doses Canada has secured through its existing agreement with Pfizer. The Government of Canada has also purchased 422 freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines.
"We continue to prepare for distribution with provinces and territories, as experts and scientists of the government of Canada are assessing the safety of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Canadians can be confident that when a vaccine is ready, Canada will be ready," said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health.
While the news of the authorization of a second vaccine on the way has sparked excitement and hope for many, voices have also already begun to warn Canadians not to see the vaccines as a replacement for COVID-19 safety measures. Premier Ford noted this concern in his announcement of Ontario beginning its rollout of COVID-19 vaccine.
"We have one of the most robust and comprehensive plans in the country and I am confident that all the necessary security measures and the advanced logistics systems are in place. The progress we are making is a welcome sign, but we must continue to be vigilant and follow the public health guidelines until vaccines are widely available."
People have begun to voice their concerns of people taking the vaccine as a panacea on social media. Canadians must remember that while the news of the vaccine is exciting, social distancing measures and face mask requirements are still a must!
The call from the public to Canadians to remember safety measures is much needed, as dozens of individuals still flout the rules on airplanes and in public spaces.
Covergalls friends and family - it's been a hard year, and it looks like it will end on both good and bad news. Such is life! But as we rest, and try to relax, in these final days before the New Year please understand and share this message:
Chin up! Remember to be good and that small steps make big strides. Think of others and be thankful for that which we have as we end 2020.
P.S. Wear your mask!!
Other COVID-19 Updates
Prime Minister Justin Trudeu announced Canada suspended flights from the U.K. at midnight on Dec. 21 after a new variant of COVID-19 was discovered in that country.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam told reporters today that the new variant has not yet been detected in Canada.
COVID-19 update: Ministers and public health officials address Canadians


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Lor Gislason: Writing Goopy Horror in a Neurotypical World
Interview by Andrew Fowlow September 28, 2022
extreme horror
Lord Gislason
As writers, we are often reminded by the self-help motivational gurus to "just write," but what happens if your sensory tank is filled to the brim and you go into full-blown burnout? The thought of putting pen to paper might be more terrifying than the story you're trying to tell. Of course, this isn't the situation for everyone, but it certainly is for neurodivergent authors. These are people who are so quickly overlooked. People who, in my opinion, overcome great adversity to tell the stories they write. There is a tremendous passion behind their words and it shows on the page in their storytelling. Lor Gislason is one such person. They are the author behind some of the most vile and disturbing horror I have ever read. It is absolutely divine! Lor is a very dedicated member of the horror community, and their debut novella being released on October 10th, 2022. This goopy, grimey collection is not to be missed.
Welcome Lor! What can you tell us about yourself?
I'm Lor, a non-binary (they/them) autistic writer from Vancouver Island, Canada! I started writing in 2020, mainly non-fiction articles, expressing my love for horror. I gradually began writing fiction and now my output is about 50/50. I post a lot of photos of my cat, Pierogi.
Where can readers find your non-fiction work?
You can find my writing on Horror Obsessive, Hear Us Scream, Neon Splatter and my personal blog, lorgislason.wordpress.com.
How did you get the nickname, Goop Maestro?
I think I used the word "Goop" to describe my writing and it stuck, haha. Now it's kind of my brand. Plus, it's fun to take the word back from a certain wellness brand…
The Maestro part came from my friend Shelley, and I loved it immediately. I'm like a conductor of carnage.
As a connoisseur of body horror, are there any authors whose work you recommend in indie horror?
Oh gosh, there have been so many good releases lately. Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum, Maggots Screaming! by Max Booth III, One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve by M. Shaw, Joe Koch's Convulsive collection…I could be here all day.
Word on the street is, you have a delectibly goop-filled body horror book coming out very soon. What can you tell us about Inside Out?
Inside Out is part short story collection, part novella, in which each segment follows a different character, all in the same world. People start melting and all hell breaks loose. It has an overarching story and several illustrations by artists from the horror community, like Enoch Duncan and Trevor Henderson!
I've been fortunate enough to read the book already and absolutely loved every ooey gooey morsel of this book. The cover design has caught a lot of attention as well. I feel like it is a good portrayal of what readers can expect for the book. Who is the artist? What made you choose them?
Isn't it gorgeous?! The artist is Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. He does photo manipulation, creating cryptids and found footage-esque phenomenon that each have a little story to go along with them. I started chatting with him just as a fellow horror weirdo and pitched the idea of what became the melty woman, and Ed had some great suggestions. He's done cover work before and makes fake postcards for his Patreon, so I had confidence he would get this right. It was a very fluid (haha) process to work with him!
I am legally blind and people are always surprised by the things I accomplish on a day-to-day basis. It's weird to hear that because I was born with this disability, so I've just done things differently. Things people normally need sight to do. What i'm saying is that people have no clue. Neurotypical people don't know or understand what someone on the spectrum does in their everyday life to deal with sensory issues. Is there anything you do in your writing routine that helps you get words on the page? Something you think neurotypical authors wouldn't need to do to get writing done?
I definitely need both the right headspace and noise level to get any writing done. I know lots of people write with background music, but I can't do it. Most of my ideas happen when I'm trying to fall asleep, so I keep my phone under my pillow. If I don't jot it down it just disappears. My memory is pretty bad honestly.
I know that everyone on the spectrum has different hurdles, but i've heard that one thing in particular is especially difficult for authors. Is sensory overload or autistic burnout something that affects your writing? Is there anything preventative you do?
Thankfully I don't get a lot of sensory overload since I'm at home most of the time, but when I go out I have a specific music playlist to get me through things.
Burnout is something I deal with a lot, which can be frustrating. I'm trying to look at it from a positive angle. Even if I'm not writing, I'm still being creative; I watch films and read books and interact with the horror community! It's easy to be hard on ourselves.
I believe in authors writing a diverse cast of characters. In my opinion, readers get a lot of value from relateable characters. I know that I'd love to read about more people with disabilities like myself. Have you ever tried to write autistic characters? Are they present in your work?
I think my writing is inherently autistic, although some characters more than others. Aspects of myself or things that have happened to me are sprinkled in here and there. I describe actions and the physical world more than I utilize character dialogue, which I find (for myself at least) can feel unnatural or forced. I'm like, "wait, do people talk like this?" and find a way to work around it.
Aeew there any autistic authors or books that have helped you in your writing journey?
I admit I haven't read a lot of books by autistic authors, which is something I should change. Especially in the horror world. Temple Grandin is a hugely inspiring writer and scientist I recommend though!
Is there anything you're currently working on that readers should get excited about?
I have a few things brewing! I'm working on Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror with Ghoulish Books, due next April. The stories are incredible!! We had some first time submitters too, which is such an honour.
Shelley Lavigne and I are writing The Sea of Flesh, a gay and gross Darwinian Galapagos pirate novella. They're such a joy to write with, we really mesh well.
Then Shelley, Eric Raglin and I are working on Sick! Stories from the Goop Troop. We're kind of known for our penchant for the gross, and often frustrated at submission calls who exclude more extreme horror… so it felt perfect to work on something together.
These all sound amazing! I've actually read some of the stories. They even came with a warning. You said, "we mean it when we call these stories sick." YOU WERE'NT KIDDING! Granted, they were sick in the best way possible. I can't wait to read more. In your opinion, who's gonna gross out readers the most? Is there any particular story so far that's made you feel… uneasy?
Eric has a story called "Baby Face" that somehow manages to be both absolutely disgusting and heart-wrenching. I don't know how he does it!!
What's one thing you want readers to know about your new book, Inside Out?
It's just incredible to be able to share my story with the world and I'm looking forward to people finally reading it. I have a few bits that didn't make the cut, so maybe a sequel will happen in the future!
I am confident this is all just the beginning for you, Lor. You are an incredibly talented writer and a real asset to the horror community.
Thank you for being such a supportive person, Andrew! I feel very lucky to be where I am, surrounded by fellow weirdos.
Get Inside Out at Amazon
Interview by Andrew Fowlow
Andrew Robert, "The Book Dad", is a voracious reader and reviewer of horror fiction. He is the curator of a promotional platform called Horror Oasis and the owner of DarkLit Press.
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February 7, 2023 - March 7, 2023
Uncover the blood-soaked history and folklore surrounding the vampire while learning how to explore its archetype and leave new bite marks on the modern world.


Always having been quite the avid baker, ever since arriving in Japan I have been experimenting with new Japanese flavours and ingredients I either was unable to acquire back home or had never even heard of!
Not just baking but cooking also, over the past 6 months my skills in the kitchen have gone from cooking the most basic of curries to basically anything that might take my fancy if I have the means to google a recipe.
Here is the recipe to whip up a batch of Azuki 小豆 Kinako 黄粉 Shortbread Cookies that I baked.
1. Beat butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes until fluffy with an electric mixer.
2. Fold flour, kinako, and salt into butter mixture, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. You don't want to work the dough too much once the flour is added so use a wooden spoon.
3. Fold in azuki paste in a similar fashion.
3. Scoop mixture into a ziplock bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, using a rolling pin roll the dough into a half a cm thick rectangle. Once your done seal the bag, pressing out all the air and freeze for 30 minutes. You may keep the dough in this stage up to two days.
4. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open, discard the bag and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into small rectangles or use a cookie cutter like I did (mine were hearts). Transfer the cookies to a baking sheets and carefully prick each one four times with a fork.
6. Bake for 15 to 16 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. This recipe makes about 20 cookies.
Note that if you live outside if Japan/Korea/China kinako and azuki may be hard to come by, but even these can be made from scratch.
Here's the finished product, half I dusted with additional kinako flour and the the others served with sweetened Kabocha 南瓜 (Pumpkin) paste.


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Quality & Certification
The development of opportunities of Automotive modified plastics is coming
At present, the role and status of modified plastics in the automobile industry is more and more obvious. Everbright Securities believes that the car lightweight plastic car with the demand for modified car usher in the development of modified plastics usher in opportunities for development.
Modified plastics and composites have lower density and higher specific strength than metallic materials. Modified plastics are mainly applied to the interior and exterior decoration of automobiles in the early stage. With the application of fiber-reinforced plastics, they have been applied to automobile structural parts nowadays. In particular, the development of carbon fiber composite materials technology has led to the development of light-weight and light- Quantifying the total solution becomes possible.
In 2016, the demand for modified home appliances in China was 4.4 million tons and the demand for automobile modified plastics was 2.8 million tons. However, the growth rate in home appliance industry has dropped below 5%. As the automobile industry has become a leader in light industry, The fastest growing areas of demand for sexual plastics, it is predicted that the next few years the domestic demand for automotive modified plastics average annual growth rate will be above 15%.
Currently the highest use of modified plastic is the German Department of Bicycle, the use of modified plastics reached 22% of 300-360 kg, the average European and American countries also reached 16% of 210-260 kg, China's passenger Only 8% of the modified plastic for bicycles is 100-130 kg.
In 2016, the global market for automotive modified plastics will be 221.9 billion yuan. By 2018, it is conservatively estimated that the global market in this area may exceed 300 billion yuan.
This entry was posted in News on December 25, 2017 by lubon.
Peru's mineral exports increased by 11.8% in October
According to the Bnamericas website, the central bank's statistics show that in October, although exports of copper, iron ore and tin declined, most of the exports of metals increased the country's mineral exports year-on-year.
October, Peru's exports amounted to 3.84 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 8.2%, of which, the export of mining products for 2.344 billion U.S. dollars, the year-on-year growth of 11.8%. With imports rising 9.6% to 3.5 billion, Peru's trade surplus fell to $346 million from $363 million a year earlier.
October, Peru's largest exports of copper exports of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 6%. Although exports fell 204900 tonnes to 27.6%, copper prices rose from 1.81 dollars/pound to 2.65 dollars/pound, or 46.6%.
Gold exports rose 9.5% to $660 million. Exports grew 7.6% to 515,500 ounces; export prices rose from 1257 US dollars/ounces to 1280 dollars/ounces, or 1.8%.
Zinc ore export volume of 110,200 tons, an increase of 15.8% per cent, exports to 233 million U.S. dollars, growth of 69%. Lead ore export volume of 77,300 tons, an increase of 16.5% per cent, exports to 163 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 34.8%. Lead and zinc prices have all risen.
Molybdenum exports to 2500 tons, an increase of 2.8% year-on-year, export prices rose 29.5%, export growth of 33%, to 39 million U.S. dollars.
Silver exports to 700,000 ounces, an increase of 39%, exports to 12 million U.S. dollars, growth of 29.2%.
Affected by the 20-day iron mine strike, Peru's iron ore exports fell by 87% in October, only 100,000 tonnes, and exports fell 81% to $5 million.
The volume of tin exports was 1600 tonnes, down 19% per cent, and exports to 33 million U.S. dollars, down 15%.
Other minerals, phosphate ore exports of 30 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 12% per cent, steel and smelting metal exports of 113 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 28%.
Bacillus thuringiensis
December 18 Asian Styrene market price goes down
December 18, Asia styrene market OB Korea market closed at 1275-1276 USD/ton, down 18 USD/ton; CFR China market closed at 1304-1305 USD/ton, down 19 USD/ton.
December 18 Asian Toluene market closing price rises
December 18, the Asian toluene close than the last session of a small rise of 2.5 U.S. dollars/ton, reported 704.50-706.50 USD/ton (FOB Korea).
Global mining opens a new era
In the 2017, the world economy recovered more than expected and mining was taking advantage.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic outlook report, has raised global growth forecasts for the next two years by 0.1%, a growth rate of 3.6% in 2017 and 3.7% in 2018, and a rise in growth forecasts for major economies, including China. The IMF estimates that 3/4 of the world's economies will grow faster this year, the biggest increase in the global economy in nearly 10 years.
Data show that over the past year, prices of major metal ore products have fluctuated frequently, and shortages of major metals and minerals have continued to intensify. In the first half of 2017, the world's top ten mining companies operating performance growth, some companies share prices than the early 2016 rose 4 times times. Important Mineral Resources countries, in addition to Peru's GDP growth continues to decline, Canada, South Africa, Chile, Australia's GDP growth rate between the 1%~3%, Brazil is gradually out of recession, Russia rebounded quarterly, the Chinese economy is gradually stabilising. There are signs that the global mining bottoming is starting to emerge.
In the recent China Mining industry chain Conference, a number of experts and scholars in the mining field said that after four years of sinking in 2012, the global mining industry in the new round of economic recovery or will usher in another active period. Combined with new opportunities in the "All along" mining cooperation, the global mining industry is opening a new era.
Important mineral exploration and development investment rebound
After 4 years of continuous decline, the global mineral exploration and development investment showed signs of recovery.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) report predicts that emerging and developing economies grew by 4.6% in 2017 and 4.8% in 2018. Among them, China grew 6.7% and 6.4% respectively, Russia grew 1.4% and 1% respectively, Brazil grew 0.3%, 1.3% respectively, India grew 7.2%, 7.7%, and South Africa grew 1% and 1.2% respectively.
Jingweidong, Director of Department of Land and Resources Information Center, said that China's economic growth is stable, India may become the world's sixth largest economy. The rebound in iron ore prices has led to a gradual downturn in the economies of mineral exporters such as Brazil, but the slump in oil prices has made the economies of Russia, Venezuela and other countries still more difficult. With the development of mining projects and the construction of infrastructure, some African countries will show rapid growth.
According to the SNL Metals and mining Group survey, the global non-ferrous metal exploration investment in 2016 was 6.89 billion U.S. dollars, down 22% from the previous year, the company is expected to stabilize the recovery in 2017.
The country's mineral exploration investment was $783 million trillion in the first half of 2017, up 21% from $644 million a year earlier, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Gold and base metals picked up a larger percentage of ore, while iron ore and other minerals grew less.
The World Class copper mine project, such as Democratic RCD-Kakula, continues to make important progress. May, Kakula announced the new resource volume: Copper Metal presumed resources volume 11.3 million tons, copper grade 3.23%, speculate resource volume 1.36 million tons, copper grade 2.26%. At present, the whole of the Kakula-copper mine project along the length of more than 10-kilometer, ore resources of 1 billion tons, will be among the world's top three copper ore ranks.
Ecuador's Cascaville copper-gold mine has continuously made new exploration results, repeatedly announced that drilling found thick near-kilometer mineralization, individual drilling more than 1200 meters, the project is expected to be the first announcement of resource volume at the end of the year.
Mongohamagote copper and gold exploration continues to achieve new results. Among them, the Aletantal-covered deposit is 646 meters, copper grade 0.51%, gold 0.87 grams/ton, net Mountain deposit 264 meters, copper grade 0.56%, gold grade 1.46 grams/ton.
At the same time, the exploration of lithium ore and metallogenic theory have made important progress. Democratic Congo's Mannono (Manono) Lithium mine is considered to be the world's largest hard rock type lithium mine, is the "Escondida Dida" in the lithium mine, the prospective ore resources amount 1 billion ~12 billion tons, lithium oxide grade 1.25%~1.5%. US scientists have discovered that the lava from the super volcanic eruption cooled and formed rocks, releasing lithium in weathering and erosion and accumulating lithium-clay deposits. The discovery also helps explain the genesis of lithium deposits in South America's "lithium triangle". The volcano is dense and the lithium from the volcano is eroded and weathered and enriched in the Alpine Salt Lake.
Jingweidong said the global survey budget data released by the S & P has entered the rising channel. The 2017 nonferrous metal exploration budget was 7.95 billion U.S. dollars, the first rebound since 2012. Copper, cobalt, lithium, graphite, gold, zinc and other minerals have become the main target of exploration, and have made some important discoveries, will become a new trend of mineral exploration.
Jingweidong said that after several years of difficult operations, mining companies to improve profitability, profit growth, market capitalisation increased, financing is no longer so difficult. According to the world's top ten mining companies statistics, the first half of the total net profit of 16.5 billion U.S. dollars, is twice times the same period last year, close to the year 60%. Profits of the big three iron miners rose more than 60% year-on-year.
Mining industry's position in economic development is rising
The research report of the Mineral Resources Situation Analysis Group of China National Institute of Land and Resources Economics said that overall, both developed and developing economies have taken mining as the main driving force for economic development, a phenomenon that has been rare in recent years.
Zhang Hongtao, the former chief engineer of the State Council, said that with the recovery of the world's emerging economies, a pick-up in manufacturing and trade, stronger market confidence and stable commodity prices, exports of commodity emerging markets resumed growth.
"In the next 20 years, the global economic development will not change the demand for resources, the resource shortage fundamentals will not change, the global development trend will not end." Moreover, China's new drive for economic development has not been fully released. In the future, global energy demand will remain strong, with more than half of China's energy needs. "Zhang Hongtao said. However, in a single energy consumption, oil remained the dominant fuel, accounting for 1/3 of the total, and in 2016, after a 15-year (1999 ~2014) decline, the oil market share increased for the second consecutive year and the coal share fell to 28.1%.
"Despite China's superior mineral resources, rare earths, tungsten, tin, molybdenum, antimony, vanadium, titanium, tantalum, magnesite, fluorite, graphite, barite, bentonite, talc, Glauber's salt and other minerals identified resources reserves ranked first in the world, of which rare earth reserves accounted for 80% of the world, antimony ore accounted for 40%, titanium ore reserves are the sum of other countries reserves, Tungsten reserves are 4 times times the sum of other countries ' reserves, but the situation of the shortage of minerals remains difficult to change. Zhang Hongtao said that the demand for resources will remain high for a long time, from the global economic development trend, mining in the economic growth of the share is rising.
This trend is being confirmed by other countries around the world. U.S. President Trump, after his inauguration, to fulfill his campaign commitments, issued a variety of policies to support mining development. This March, Trump signed the "energy independence" of the Executive order. July, Trump announced the abolition of the Obama administration in the restrictions imposed on overseas coal-fired power plants to provide financing policy. In addition, the Obama administration's ban on federal land for coal leases was lifted in the lease of federal land. This series of policies has led to a sharp rebound in U.S. coal production and exports.
Brazil has made drastic changes to its mining management system to promote its mining industry. On the one hand, the Mineral Development Bureau has been transformed into a national mineral administration responsible for mining supervision, with the aim of increasing transparency and reducing bureaucracy. On the other hand, the mining entitlements are raised to convert the tax base from net sales to gross revenue and to introduce floating tax rates in accordance with price changes. Take iron ore, for example, if the price is less than 60 dollars/ton, the tax rate is 2%, the price is 60 USD/ton ~70 USD/ton, the tax rate is 2.5%, the price is 70 USD/ton ~80 USD/ton, the tax rate is 3%, the price is 80 USD/ton ~100 USD/ton, the tax rate is 3.5% If above 100 USD/ton, 4%. In addition, the introduction of annual inspection tax on mining activities in Brazil, according to the size of the company and the stage of the project, the mining companies each year to pay 500~5000 of the tax.
Other countries and regions that have decided to raise taxes and increase taxes are still many. For example, Australia will raise the gold royalty rate from 2.5% to 3.75%, the Democratic Congo to restore mining companies import value-added tax, Tanzania levy mineral Export Inspection tax, India levy gold sales tax, the United States to raise the coal right gold tax rate.
In some countries, national mining companies have been conceived or established to strengthen national control over mining and improve competitiveness. February, Bolivia established a national lithium mining company. April, the Chilean national copper Company set up a lithium mining branch. Ecuador approved the establishment of a national mining company in June.
In order to strengthen the design and management of the top level of mineral resources, some countries have established specialized agencies. In March, for example, Colombia established the National Water Resources Commission, and in April Argentina established the Federal Energy Commission.
There are signs that mining is on the rise in the world's leading mining-producing countries, both in terms of industry orientation and management design.
Global mining bottoming out
"China's economy is generally good, new business mode, new model of China's economic support is increasing, private investment is low, enterprise financing is difficult, the industrial structure is unreasonable, the resource demand is weak, the geological prospecting benefit decline and other challenges still cannot be neglected." China's economic integration into the global economy, we must face the international situation caused by instability and uncertainty. "Zhang Hongtao predicts that global demand for energy minerals is expected to grow and that the price of important metal minerals is rising." Most of the "three dilute" mineral resources are in short supply, international mineral prices have risen comprehensively, and mineral exports of important mineral minerals have rebounded sharply.
Zhang Hongtao said that the innovation drive has become the new impetus of the resource industry of the Times, and environmental protection has become an important indicator of China's energy structure adjustment. Green sustainable development has become a global consensus, hydro, wind, photovoltaic, nuclear power, shale gas, combustible ice, geothermal and other renewable clean alternative energy will maintain high growth.
The economic outlook for the US, Europe, Japan, China and other emerging markets has improved, said Ping, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the Chinese Geological Survey. In the 2017, the "simultaneous growth" of the global economic recovery in various economies has not occurred in the past decade.
Affected by the above factors, the global Mining index overall out of the downturn, into a stage of slow recovery. The junior high school level company financing, initial resource quantity discovery all presents the fluctuation type to rise. "Ping said that 2017 global solid mineral exploration investment bottoming up, the solid mineral exploration budget has risen for the first time since 2012, up 14% from 2016 to $7.95 billion."
"Investment volatility in geological exploration can best reflect the cyclical cycle of the mining industry, which can be used as a barometer of mining industry." Yang Bing, former director of the Center for Nonferrous Metals Mineral Geology, said that during the ~2017 years of 1991, the mining industry experienced two cyclical fluctuations, one in 1993 ~2002 and the other 2003 ~2016 years.
"According to the cycle theory, the mining recession should be bottoming out in 2016 and rebound in 2017." Yang Bing said that at the China International Mining Conference in September 2017, most of the authoritative experts attending the meeting endorsed this point: 2017 will be the starting point for a new cycle of mining.
Data show that in September 2016 ~2017 September, the price of mineral products rose to varying degrees. Prices of copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, lithium and cobalt rose 35%, 27.4%, 38%, 36%, 75% and 118% respectively. Profits in China's mining industry have increased sharply. At the same time, global mining financing mergers are also becoming active. According to the statistics, 2017 two financing amount of 71 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 15%, the first half of the merger has been more than 2016, the acquisition amount of 28 billion U.S. dollars, compared with the same period last year 14.6 billion U.S. dollar growth 92%, mergers and acquisitions case growth of 3.3% to 222.
A global mining report released by PwC in June showed that after a sharp fall in minerals in the past few years, the world's minerals are picking up, companies are starting to profit and their balance sheets are stronger. According to PwC, the top 40 mining companies in the market value, in 2016, the 40 mining companies total profit of 20 billion U.S. dollars, and 2015 losses of 28 billion U.S. dollars.
"The global mining industry in the short term, after 2012, mining investment continued to decline, the withdrawal of economic capacity, there are capacity consumption, the lack of new capacity input, resulting in the market will be conducive to the direction of the supply side." Yang Bing said that in the long run, the mining industry continues to a good foundation more solid: "Along the way", China's demand for mineral resources will remain high, China's environmental requirements to further reduce the old capacity, new capacity growth will be affected by a separate source.
"The technological revolution will change the pattern of resource demand. "However, Yang Bing said, this round of economic growth will not appear similar to the previous round of the super cycle, it is difficult to reproduce the extraordinary development of such a large economy as China, where other emerging economies such as India and ASEAN are gradually industrializing, and the demand for mineral resources will usher in a new cyclical growth, but it is noteworthy that the level of competition in the industry will tend to increase , demand changes and price fluctuations will be more frequent.
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Copper Industry Investment Prospects Report: Copper prices continued to rise, and promote the performance of copper enterprises strong
In the first three quarters of 2017, as the average copper price rebounded, the profitability of copper enterprises increased significantly. Operating revenue and net profit of 18 sample companies increased by 13.08% and 233.52% respectively over the same period of last year with an average gross profit margin of 8.64% Over the same period increased by 0.95 percentage points, of which mining companies and high self-sufficiency rate of copper smelting business profitability increased significantly.
Benefiting from the increase in average copper price and the overall profitability of the industry, the cash flow from operating activities of copper enterprises improved significantly in the first three quarters of 2017. As the industry boom rebounded, copper enterprises to speed up capacity expansion, the overall debt burden rose slightly.
Affected by the tight supply and demand of copper mines and the weakening of the U.S. dollar, copper prices continued to rise in the first three quarters of 2017
Since 2017, the supply of copper has been limited due to factors such as the strike-stoppage of some overseas copper mines, the tougher environmental protection in China and the restriction on imports of scrap copper. In respect of copper demand, the global economy as a whole improved, the US dollar weakened, the Chinese economy maintained a high growth rate, and the downstream demand for infrastructure, electricity and home appliances boomed. The copper supply and demand as a whole tightened. The copper price continued its upward trend in the fourth quarter of 2016. As of the end of September 2017, the price of LME3 rose 18.32% at the beginning of the year to US $ 6,531 / tonne and the SHFE copper rose by 14.02% at Rmb51880 / tonne. In the first three quarters of 2017, the average copper price of LME copper and SHFE was 5,947.31 US dollars / tonne and 47,690.95 yuan / ton respectively, up 25.89% and 30.27% respectively over the same period of 2016, an obvious increase.
Germany Lansen want to buy AkzoNobel's $ 10 billion specialty chemicals business
Bloomberg quoted anonymous sources saying Germany's Lanxess has teamed up with private-equity firm Apollo Global Management to bid for AkzoNobel's $ 10 billion specialty chemicals business.
Reported that Germany's LANXESS competed with teams including CVC Capital Partners, KKR, Advent International and Bain Capital; in addition, Carlyle Group and Blackstone Group will conduct Bid separately.
Traders report that at the EGM held on November 30 this year, Akzo Nobel shareholders approved the separation of their specialty chemicals business as part of their strategy to create a focused and efficient business: paints and coatings Business and Specialty Chemicals Business.
Data show that LANXESS is a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals, core business development, production and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. With sales of 7.7 billion euros in 2016, there are approximately 19,200 employees worldwide and 74 manufacturing locations in 25 countries.
Ineos will build the "largest" butane tank in Europe
The Ineos group will build "the largest butane tank in Europe" in the Belgian port city of Antwerp.
The company announced on December 9 that it has signed an agreement with OTAGT, an oil company, to build 135,000 cubic meters of fully-cold storage and is expected to start production in 2019.
Ineos said the fully-cooled container will allow it to import butane from VLGC operators in the United States and around the world. This is a raw material for the production of butadiene.
The company will supply "competitive raw materials" to its factories in Cologne, Germany, as well as the opportunity to trade butane in Europe.
OTAGT, located on the left bank of the Sheffield River, is one of the largest independent terminals in northwestern Europe for storing, producing and distributing liquefied petroleum gas and petrochemical gases.
The project is part of Ineos investment in a resilient supply chain for European plants.
Chile copper production in the first 10 months fell 2.1%
According to the Bnamericas website, the latest monthly report by the Chilean National Copper Commission (COCHILCO) shows that the country's copper production was 510,400 tonnes in October, up 15.1% per cent year-on-year, the highest rate since December 2016.
Compared with 476,500 tonnes in October, copper production increased by 7.1%. In the first 10 months, Chilean copper production was 4.47 million tonnes, down 2.1% per cent from a year earlier.
BHP's Escandidas (Escondida) copper mine fell 13.2% per cent from a year earlier to 712,300 tonnes, after a 44-day strike by workers.
Chile's National Copper Company (CODELCO) produced 1.5 million tonnes in the first 10 months, down 1.6% year-on-year. The production of Chukikhamatta (Chuquicamata)-Radomirotomic (Radomiro Tomic)-Harbin (Ministro Hales) is 686,100 tonnes, down 4.4% from a year earlier. The production of Teniente copper mine was 386,800 tonnes, down 1.9% from a year earlier. BHP's smallest copper mine, El Salvador (Salvador), produced 50,000 tonnes, up 3.1% per cent from a year earlier.
The first 10 months of Codelco's copper mine were 182,500 tonnes, up 15.4% from a year earlier, while Gabriele Mistral (Gabriela Mistral) Copper production was 102,600 tonnes, down 0.8%.
Chile's second-largest copper mine, the Anglo-American group and Glencore's joint-venture Coyavasi (COLLAHUASI) copper mine production of 427,600 tons, year-on-year growth of 1.2%. The production of Los Pelambresse (Los pelambres) copper mine, a Antofagasta mining company (Antofagasta Minerals), was 291,300 tonnes, down 3.6%. The production of Gadelaria (Candelaria) copper mine in Lending Mining Co. (Lundin Mining) was 128,100 tonnes, increasing by 22.7%.
Anglo-American group in Chile's southern Company production of 289,600 tons, a year-on-year decline of 2.4%. Antofagasta and Barclays Gold's joint venture Zardiva (Zaldivar) copper mine produced 86,700 tonnes, up 2.2%.
Freeport McMoRan (Freeport-mcmoran) holds a 51% stake, and Codelco's 49%-owned Abra copper mine produces 64,500 tonnes, down 24.2% per cent year-on-year. BHP Billiton's Spencer (Spence) copper mine produced 162,300 tonnes, up 20.5%, and Cerroco Rolado (Cerro Colorado) copper mine produced 53,900 tonnes, down 18.3%.
Kevlada Branca (Quebrada Blanca), a Teck resource company, produced 19,200 tonnes of copper ore, down 33.8%. Glencore's Lomas Bayas (Lomas Bayas) copper mine produced 67,000 tonnes and grew by 1.4%.
Gamma-PGA (gamma polyglutamic acid)
In the first 10 months of this year, the global supply of primary aluminum shortages of 1.414 million tons
During the January-October period of this year, the global shortage in primary aluminum market was 1.434 million tons, with a deficit of 0.770 million tons for the full year of 2016. In the first 10 months of this year, the demand for primary aluminum was 50.22 million tons, an increase of 1.713 million tons over the same period of previous year. January-October primary aluminum production increased 947,000 tons. The total reportable inventories decreased by 30,000 tons, as of the end of October to 2,249,000 tons, equivalent to 14 days of demand, as of the end of 2016 to 2,761,000 tons. As of the end of October, the total stocks held by the four major exchanges in London, Shanghai, the United States and Tokyo were 1.488 million tons, a decrease of 477,000 tons from the level at the end of last year. Overall, global production in the first 10 months of the year increased by 2% year-on-year. China's production is estimated at 27.23 million tonnes, which represents 56% of global production. Apparent demand in China increased by 4% over the same period of last year. China exported 303,000 tonnes of net exports in the first ten months of October. Net unlisted aluminum exports in 2015 amounted to 255,000 tonnes. In the first 10 months of this year, China's net export of semi-finished aluminum products was 3.194 million tons, up from 3.882 million tons in the same period of last year. Aluminum output in 28 EU countries remained flat year-on-year, while North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) output fell 2.1% YoY. Demand from the EU-28 increased by 113,000 tons year-on-year. January-October global demand rose 3.5%. In October 2017, the global production of primary aluminum was 4,763,500 tons, with a consumption of 4,799,100 tons.
Export volume increased greatly, rare earth market price stopped falling and stabilized
Demand gradually stagnated, PVC market ended peacefully to welcome the Spring Festival
On January 21, sulfur price was weakly stable
Crude oil supply in the Middle East is at risk, oil prices went up 1% on Monday
Chlorinated paraffin market stable (1.13-1.20)
Cultures & Activities
Is expected to post fertilizer prices will stabilize the main
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