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TRANSCRIPT: DoD Press Briefing on Ebola Response with GEN Rodriguez (Dec. 3, 2014)
Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Rodriguez in the Pentagon Briefing Room on Ebola Response Presenter: U.S. Africa Command Commander General David M. Rodriguez December 03, 2014
Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Africa Command, discusses the Defense Department's response to the Ebola outbreak during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Dec. 3, 2014. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz)
Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Rodriguez in the Pentagon Briefing Room on Ebola Response
Presenter: U.S. Africa Command Commander General David M. Rodriguez
Source: http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5548
GENERAL DAVID RODRIGUEZ: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm glad to have the opportunity to talk with you again on how the U.S. Africa Command is supporting the Ebola response in West Africa. As you know, the president's made very clear that containing the spread of Ebola is a national security priority, and we have made significant progress toward this end as part of a comprehensive U.S. government effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
However, the mission is not complete, and we cannot afford to be complacent. While it is too early to declare success, Liberia has made encouraging advances in reducing the spread of Ebola. We think the biggest drivers of this progress have been the Liberian leadership in educating the public, as well as the health workers, safe burial procedures, rapid contact tracing, and the increased lab capacity to diagnose samples quickly.
From the U.S. military perspective, we have deployed to provide military support in areas like communication and coordination, engineering, logistics, and training. Our engineers are supporting the Liberians as they build improved infrastructure necessary for the response efforts, and we have transportation professionals and logistics professionals managing the movement of personnel and the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
Our military medical personnel are supporting the training of medical support staff for the Ebola treatment units, and the commanders of our military forces are assisting in Ebola response currently. Major General Gary Volesky and previously Major General Darryl Williams have ensured our servicemembers were taken care of before, during and after deploying to support this mission.
We continue to do everything in our power to address and mitigate potential risks to our servicemembers, civilian employees, contractors, and their families. In the end, our equipment, training procedures, and most of all, the leadership and discipline of our personnel will help to ensure that our team accomplishes its mission and keeps our nation and fellow citizens safe. I'm proud of the extraordinary men and women supporting this important mission, and I thank you. And I look forward to your questions.
Q: General, do you anticipate having to mount similar operations in other countries?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Right now, USAID does not think we'll have to do that, but they're continuing to monitor that very closely. As you know, Sierra Leone and Guinea, of course, are two that are hard hit. And then there has been an uptick in Mali, so we're continuing to prepare to do those things, but as of yet, not required.
Q: What is different about those countries that would not require U.S. military assistance?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Well, it depends really on the international community's effort to do the things that are required. Much of it, of course, that where we provide the unique capabilities are in the communications and the coordination, as well as the logistics support and the things that we're doing in -- in Liberia.
Now, in Liberia, by the end of the year, a lot of that will start to get picked up by the civilian agencies, so we'll just have to continue to monitor that situation. And, again, USAID has disaster assistance and response teams in each of those countries, and as of today, they have not requested that support.
Q: General Rodriguez, how have you adjusted your mission in Liberia, given the fact that rates are coming down? Will you not be building as many hospitals? How has it changed? What lessons learned, if you had to do this again in Sierra Leone or Guinea, what would you do differently? And finally, do you think that U.S. personnel still need to be quarantined when they leave?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: I think the -- as we look forward to have to do something in another country, as in Sierra Leone, I think those four things are what the international community believes are really the things that will make a difference, between a safe burial, the outreach to the people and the education and training of both the people and the health care workers, as well as the labs, so those are the things that are most important.
And, of course, the challenge to find and understand where there's a hotspot and then move the resources there quickly I think will be part of that solution. For our people, we're still collecting data. As you know, we've had several people go through the 21-day controlled monitoring, and we'll continue to watch that for the next 30 days probably, and then we'll take a look at that again to see if we have to continue to do that.
Okay? Yes, sir.
Q: General, when you were here about two months ago, you indicated that you saw the mission going about a year.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Somewhere around there, yeah.
Q: Have you revised that at all? Or do you feel like you're on track to maybe wrapping this up mid-2015?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, we could do -- we could do a little bit less than that. But, again, the challenge is, you just have to watch it very carefully and things -- either complacency or things that are not foreseen, which created the challenges in the first place, could come up again, but right now, I would say it would probably be a little bit less than that. But, again, it just depends on the situation and what is asked of us to do outside of Liberia.
Yes, sir?
Q: Excuse me. You mentioned the perhaps 30 days in review of the quarantine policy.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, there's -- yes, that was the original plan, was to take a look at that, and then 45 days into it, see how we're doing.
Q: Okay. Could you tell me what some of the criteria will be, as to whether it should be retained, modified, or just completely dropped?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's really based on the services and what they're able to do. We've had some of them go through, mainly in Europe. We have obviously the first ones back in the United States, but they haven't even been through the process and back to their homes yet, so it'll be about confidence and ensuring that the people who have had minimum risk or no risk to the disease, if they're able to do it without that.
Q: So if -- I mean, to follow up, if you found that there's been no exposure, no one has brought it back, that would be a reason to perhaps...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Then make a recommendation to take a look at it and say, yes, yes, that would. Uh-huh.
Q: General, you said a second ago you thought the timeline might shrink a little bit, depending on the breaks for this operation going forward.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes.
Q: Can you give us a sense of about the scale in terms of the number of people involved? How many troops are there today? And where could you get to at a potential peak down the line here?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, there's about 2,900 folks there today. That will probably be the peak. And the majority of the big engineering and logistic things in Liberia will probably, start to tail off in the end of the year January. That's when we'll, you know, again, start to send some of those people home. And most of that is about the logistics and the engineering.
Then, like I said, either we'll send them to another place if required or we'll start redeploying and send them home. Yes, sir?
Q: General, General Volesky said last month that he'd probably go to about 3,000 or thereabouts by the middle of this month.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes, uh-huh.
Q: But you're saying now 2,900...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's 2,900, yeah. Yeah, the -- yeah, he said about 3,000. It's about 2,900, and that's about the max, I think, that we foresee right now.
Q: And do you still foresee going to 17 treatment units, treatment centers?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No. Right now, they're asking for less. Again, as we have come in and done this, they have adapted the sizes, so many of them are now only 50 instead of 100, and we're down to building 10 units, instead of 17 right now.
Q: Ten instead of 17?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Ten instead of 17, based on the situation. Again, that's a decision that USAID, in conjunction with the whole international community, makes based on what they're able to do. So the intent to get in there and jump-start things is all moving in the right direction. And like I said, the World Food Programme is going to pick up a lot of the logistics here by the end of the year, and some of the other international organizations have built Ebola treatment units.
Q: You're counting on the World Food Programme? They're broke. They can't feed Syria now.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Well, it's a different place than Syria and everything, so they're doing all right. They have a significant logistics supply and contracting capacity to be able to pick up some of the logistics, yes.
Yes, ma'am?
Q: General, can you clarify? You said that you've gone now from 17 to 10. Are those 100 beds or 50 beds?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The first three were 100 beds, and the next seven, the last seven will be 50 beds.
Q: Okay.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Okay?
Q: General, if you'll forgive me, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you about a different topic, which -- in your AOR -- which is Libya. I was wondering if you could give us an assessment on what's happening in the battle between General Khalifa's forces and Ansar al-Sharia. Can you give us a sense of how you see the area of particularly eastern Libya, who controls what, and what kind of grip ISIS and other extremist groups have in that part of the country?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes. The challenge in Libya, of course, is the multiple militias, the multiple governments, between the national convention, as well as the house of representatives and -- quite frankly, a lot of confusion on the ground about who's in charge and not.
The effort over there by the former General Haftar, who has been fighting in the east, as well as Ansar al-Sharia, as you said, you know, continues to go back and forth. It's about who controls the airport, who controls some of the checkpoints. That continues to go back and forth. He continued to control the airport out there.
And ISIL has begun its efforts over in the east out there to introduce some people over there. But we'll have to just continue to monitor and watch that carefully in the future to see what happens or whether it grows on unabated.
Q: Can I just follow up quickly? Control the airport, you're talking to Benghazi airport?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes. Yes.
Q: And one of the things that we've heard is that ISIS has started to move into western Libya around Tripoli. Is that something that you're seeing, as well?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: We're continuing to watch that. The intelligence community has mixed reports no that right now. But we're continuing to watch that. But most of it is over in the east right now.
Q: Can I follow up on all of that, please, sir?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Uh-huh.
Q: A couple of -- Libya, in the east. What's your assessment of how many, what kind of ISIL fighters you're seeing in the east? Do they have a network, like are you seeing command-and-control? Or are these stray people wandering in?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's mainly about people coming for training and logistics support right now. It's for training sites, and that's what we see right now. As far as a huge command-and-control network, I've not seen that yet.
Q: So you're seeing ISIS training sites in eastern Libya?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Uh-huh, yes.
Q: A -- a ballpark figure?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, the numbers are somewhere around a couple hundred is the estimate. But, again, we don't have a specific, precise assessment of that right now.
Q: Can we also get your assessment, as long as you're here, on what you're seeing going on with Boko Haram, as well as the Al-Shabaab? I mean, we're seeing a lot of violence from Boko Haram in the last several days. What do you think is going on with them? Al-Shabaab, as well. Where are they getting their support? Do you potentially see ISIS connections to either of those? Do you see new AQAP connections? Both groups, can you just walk us through your thinking?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The Al-Shabaab effort has continued to be the same as it has been with some from AQAP and mostly from the east, from that direction. They have continued to evolve their -- their tactics and techniques and procedures, so the improvised explosive devices and -- while the number's down, in the amount of attacks, the casualties are up, and they've, as you know, struck out at many of the troop contributing countries, of course, beginning with the Kenya effort in the mall, but also they have continued to make attempts at Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Uganda. And that continues to be the way that they are trying to respond to their losing of ground to the AMISOM efforts inside Somalia.
Q: And what about with Boko Haram?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Boko Haram continues to be the, you know, horrible attacks on the population in northeastern Nigeria. And, you know, we are working with both the Nigerians, as well as the surrounding countries of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger to help prevent that from continuing to grow outside the boundaries of Nigeria.
Q: Do you (off mic) connections coming in?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, the main connections there are very, very -- very -- very small and not -- most of it still continues to be local. You know, they've got a couple trainers from here and there, but there's no constant theme of, you know, who's actually supporting them.
Q: You said -- could I follow up, please? You said you were working with the various countries...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Around, yes.
Q: Doing what? Specifically...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: With help training their forces to counter Boko Haram, working with the people on the border and continuing to share intelligence of the Boko Haram threat that is spilling outside the borders, as in Cameroon and Niger and Chad.
Q: And if it was -- if it was stopped, excuse me -- I just didn't catch it -- but is the search from the air still ongoing for...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The search in the air is ongoing, and we continue to share the intelligence back with the Nigerian leadership, yes.
Q: And have they made use of it?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: They have not made much use of it. And there's not a lot of precision on where those girls are. There's just a couple of suspected areas, and it's pretty tough to get a good, solid fix on where they are, because they've been dispersed. They're in some rugged terrain. And we've just been able to get a couple, you know, probables. That's it.
Q: And what specific assets are still being used?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: We have both national assets, and we also have some manned and unmanned assets.
Q: General Rodriguez, can I just follow up on Libya? Do we -- does the U.S. have military personnel operating in Libya right now?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, we do not.
Q: And -- are you still continuing to search for any of the Benghazi attackers?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes, we continue to search for the Benghazi attack network, yes.
Q: But without U.S. military on the ground.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: That's right, without people on the ground, yes.
Q: My train of though train of thought. I was going to ask you about Libya -- Liberia, excuse me, but Benghazi. Two years after the attack on the U.S. consulate, this has become still a major issue with the right-wing and Obama-haters, that the conspiracy theorists about why we didn't rescue. Two years later, what assets do you have at your disposal right now? Review the bidding. If something like that happened again, what do you have available?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: We have the FAST teams from the Marines. We have -- we have a commander's emergency response forces from the special forces. We have the special purpose MAGTF crisis response that's up in Moron, Spain. And then we have the East African response force in Djibouti.
We also have force-sharing agreements with European Command to be able to be much more responsive and quicker. And then we think we have developed an improved way to execute the indications and warnings with our interagency partners to ensure that we can move and reposition closer.
We have done that three times, for example, into Sigonella based on indications or warning. And then, of course, the reinforcement of the embassies, both by diplomatic security and the Marine security guards, as happened throughout the region, and we've done that in Libya. We've done that in Tunisia. We've done that in the Central African Republic and, of course, in South Sudan, between that time and now.
Q: You said you've taken the lessons -- the actual incident and you've kind of gamed in terms of how you do it differently.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes, in coordination with the State Department, the intelligence community, and diplomatic security, yes.
Q: And on Liberia, back in October, the Army was trying to set up a communications infrastructure there, so you have a single operating picture for this desolate nation that had no communications infrastructure. Your CIO at the AUSA conference talked about sending his CENTCOM teams in there...
Q: As non-technical as you can, what's the state of the communications there? And also, you would have an operating picture that allows you to move fast to the various locations.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's very much improved. We deployed some teams from the joint communications and support element initially, and then followed them up with communications element from the Army, and they have a very good network in there through the satellite communications now.
Q: What will stay in place after the Army's involvement...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It'll stay in place, again, as long as USAID needs us to support those efforts, and we foresee at some point in time the communication infrastructure of the nation will be able to handle most of that in the future. Okay.
Q: Sir, I'd like to go back to something you said earlier to Jennifer about your investigation into the Benghazi attack.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It wasn't -- it wasn't our investigation. It was -- yes.
Q: The search for those who perpetrated the attack.
Q: I wonder if you could offer some clarity, how is it you're able to go after them, given that nobody really controls eastern Libya, where the preponderance of those attackers were? There's a tit-for-tat battle going on. The Libyan government has no mechanism in place to go after those attackers and arrest them. And you don't have anybody -- troops on the ground. How is it that you're able to then go after them? And if you are going after them, it's a relatively small community. It seems that after two years there would be the capability to find and identify and bring those to justice. So I'm just having a hard time understanding...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Well, as you know, we've brought one back. And we continue to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in conjunction with the entire interagency and many international partners to continue to build the intelligence required to bring those people to justice.
Q: I guess I didn't ask it very well, but even with the ISR, even with the intelligence, is the challenge actually physically getting somebody, a suspect and getting them out of Libya, such that you can...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's hard to be able to find them at a place that we'd be able to do a mission to do it, yes.
Q: General, I want to clarify, when you say that it might be -- the overall duration of the mission might turn out to be less than a year. Are you saying that basically this summer the military mission in Liberia may wrap up?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: This coming summer you mean, yes. Yeah, it could be, yes. But, again, we're in a good position now. The trend lines are all moving in the right direction. And if that continues, as well as the international community's ability to pick up many of the missions, and the Liberian, you know, health system as it continues to rebuild itself and everything, yes.
Q: And can I -- just to follow up, so basically over the past two months, we're looking at fewer troops than initially discussed, which is the 4,000.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It was up to 4,000. And, again, as we moved in there now, you've got to understand, the situational understanding everybody had was not nearly as clear as it is now. And every day we get better at that, the whole international community effort to gain that situational understanding.
So as you know, we originally said somewhere around 3,000, could be up to 4,000. It ended up being, as I mentioned, about 2,900, and we'll continue to watch that carefully, as USAID tries to manage the effort across the entire region.
Q: Is it fair to say that as that situational understanding has grown, that this has proven to be a more manageable, less risky mission than you initially thought a few months ago?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, I don't think so. It was just really about the speed with which the international community could pick the things up that they were able to do. And what we were doing is really getting in there to help with the unique capabilities, with the speed and the ability to build stuff in places that are, you know, not in easy to get at, easily accessible areas, and then to get the logistics support out there to sustain those efforts. Okay?
And the same with the training. You know, when we went in to conduct the training, the training was conducted by many of the international organizations, and they were able to move out into the Ebola treatment units in those places, as we picked up the training. So it's just based on the situation, you know, how we're going to adjust over time and everything.
Q: General Rodriguez?
Q: I'm unclear on the business about ISIS in eastern Libya. They're training -- receiving training or giving training there?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: They put training camps out there.
Q: Training? So these are ISIS training camps in eastern Libya?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Q: You know, the president has said that borders are not going to be a constraint in going after ISIS, so are these potential targets?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: That policy discussion is ongoing, and we'll see how that goes. But, no, not right now.
Q: Have you recommended that you need troops or airpower to go after...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Not right now. No, we have not.
Q: So you don't think you need the troops or airpower...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: We're watching it very carefully to see how it develops and everything. Right now, it's just small and very nascent. And we'll just have to see how it goes. Okay.
Q: And I assume you're talking about recruiting and training, because there have been...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The flow of foreign fighters goes throughout that entire area. And we work with, you know, multiple combatant commands, working the foreign fighter challenges now.
Q: So are they Libyan militias that have sort of remade themselves as ISIS? Or are they people coming in from the outside, crossing into Libya who you believe are -- if you will, hardcore mainline ISIS fighters?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: I think it's just militias trying to make a name and trying to make a connection right now.
Q: So they're sort of renaming themselves...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Right.
Q: But do you take it seriously that they are adhering to ISIS?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: I don't think we have enough to make that decision right now.
Q: Do you have any approximate numbers, number of camps...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, I...
Q: ... number of individuals?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No.
Q: Do you see them migrating out of Libya once the training has completed to Syria, Iraq or anywhere else, or...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: I'm not sure we have the -- the understanding about it at this point. Like I said, it's very, very -- you know, a very nascent effort and a very, you know, not a clear understanding at this point yet.
Q: Thank you, General. Can I follow up on Mick's question with Boko Haram? The government -- the U.S. military just stopped training on behalf of the -- request...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: At their request, yes.
Q: ... of the Nigerian government. And then you just mentioned that the ISR that you've been sharing is not really being used and they're not being very precise. How would you describe the relationship...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The ISR that we're flying doesn't give them...
Q: It's not giving them...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: ... a precise enough data to really go after it. So they'd have to continue to develop the situation further. Because of the isolated area and because of the challenges that they see with Boko Haram, they've not been able to develop that situation further. Okay.
Q: Is there a way to make this more precise and get the data to them and...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: It's a -- it's a mixture of everything, whether it be human intelligence, the image intelligence and everything, and in coordination with the Nigerian military, we have not been able to get the precise fix that, you know, they would -- they desire to take, you know, action.
Q: And there's been criticism -- the Nigerian government has wanted more from the U.S. military. What more have they been requesting? Is there more than can be given? Can you just describe the relationship between U.S. military and the Nigerian military?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The relationship between the Nigerian military and the U.S. is like many relationships in Africa. They ask us for what we need. And based on what we can provide them, we do. They have -- they have challenges, of course, with human rights that we have to watch very carefully, so the 143rd who we're training had been vetted and done all that, and everything. But it's hard to -- to get a unit that's properly vetted to really be able to help them. Okay.
Q: General, this has been going on for like seven months now, this search for...
Q: You know, the American public is -- get the impression it's like a Tom Clancy novel. You could track them down after a while. Can you give a feel for why this is so difficult? I mean, the terrain...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: The terrain is tough. It's mountainous. It's very, very, you know, thickly vegetated. And, again, they're not in one place. They're in different places. They've been spread throughout the area. And so it really is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Q: Are you close at all to getting any.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Again, we have a couple places that we see that could have been, could be potentially where they are and everything, but they've been unable to get up there and develop that situation any further.
STAFF: We have just time for one more.
Q: Can I ask two quick follow-ups. When you talk about these training camps again in Libya, when we're talking about hardcore ISIS, are you seeing any Iraqi or Syrian elements...
Q: ... actually going -- these are local homegrown who are bringing in and training other foreign-born jihadists or local jihadists?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, we don't know. Again, in Libya, you've got multiple Ansar al-Sharia strains. You've got the Elmor Batin. You've got a lot of different militias. You've got a lot of different organizations out there. And, again, I think what they're trying to do is, again, just work the label and get some kind of support and everything, but we don't have any precision on, you know, where the people are coming from that are being trained.
Q: And the second point is, much earlier, I mean, we're talking about not needing the full complement of troops for Liberia, you said they might be redirected elsewhere. Are you implying that they might be sent to Sierra Leone?
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Yes, it's in the region. When we got the mission originally, it was to support the USAID in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, focus on Liberia first, see how it goes with the rest of the thing, and respond to USAID's efforts wherever they see fit.
Q: And are you seeing similar numbers of American troops in Sierra Leone or...
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: No, I think that would all be less than that 2,900 right now, because, again, the major efforts in Liberia for the military will end here in December, January, as far as the huge logistics piece and the engineering piece, which is taking most of the people. Okay.
STAFF: Okay, thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.
GEN. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.
medical Interagency Nigeria Security Training AFRICOM Africa Kenya Djibouti Chad Cameroon USAID Benghazi Libya WHO Liberia Mission Leadership Commander Logistics sierra leone Ebola Pentagon
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text:
On a Sunday afternoon in early September, Brennan sits on Booth's living room couch with a red pen in one hand and a draft of her next book in her other hand. She promised her editor she would have the manuscript ready by Thursday, and she intends to keep her promise. But one particular section niggles at her; she hasn't articulated Kathy's emotions in a satisfactory way. However, the concrete words Brennan is searching for don't come.
Booth sits on the floor, his hair gilded by the autumn sunlight coming from the window they kept open because the air hasn't turned chill yet. As she watches, he takes off his t-shirt and pulls another one from the laundry basket in front of him. The shirt musses his hair as he pulls it over his head. He sighs happily and tugs it down.
"Booth?"
He looks up from the red boxers he is folding. "Yeah?"
"Would you come here for a moment?"
"Sure." The couch dips as he sits down next to her. "What's up?"
After setting down her pen, she wraps an arm around him. Her fingers register his t-shirt, warm and fresh from the dryer. She inhales and rests her cheek against him. He smells clean--like dryer sheets. When she pulls back, she finds him gazing at her with his eyebrows raised. "What was that for?"
"Research."
"What kind of research?"
Slowly, she smooths her hand over Booth's jaw and feels her fingertips catch on his weekend stubble. It makes her smile. "I'm trying to describe what Kathy feels when she looks at Andy."
"Any luck?"
"Perhaps."
"Well don't hold out on me, Bones. As your test subject, aren't I entitled to know the results of your research?" His gaze is warm as it settles on her face, as is his hand where it cups shoulder. "It's only ethical. Or something."
Brennan tilts her head, not looking away, and laces her fingers through his. "I'm not certain, but I think she feels... hopeful." Though she intends the last word to sound like a question, it doesn't.
"Hopeful, huh?"
She nods; he turns over her hand and presses a kiss to the center of her palm. A slow smile spreads across his face and warms her somewhere inside that she can't quite pinpoint—though that doesn't stop her from trying.
"I bet Andy'd be happy to know that."</div>", "url": "https://only-more-love.livejournal.com/42606.html", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://l-stat.livejournal.net/img/sign.png" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "No need to be anybody but oneself.", "image": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/69814317/930912" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Journal only_more_love", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://only-more-love.livejournal.com", "contentUrl": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/76864810/930912" } } }
Music: Basia Bulat - Snakes and Ladders
Research (Ficlet #26)
Title: Research
Series: All That Lies Between Us
Timeframe: Future
A/N: I apologize for being behind on responding to comments.
"I bet Andy'd be happy to know that."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This entry was posted on December 23, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Relationships.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Oh Sandy what a wonderful story. Isn't it great that you never know what is round the corner. I hope this is the start of a happy period of life for you and your family. Happy Christmas!
I certainly didn't expect this to happen, Pat. Happy Christmas to you too.
Well I've been walking on air all day and when I found your latest email about coming over that was the icing on the cake!
What a wonderful gift this must be! The gods are smiling down on you. Do enjoy getting to know these new members of you family and keep us in touch with your progression. Happy Christmas to you and your family.
Thanks, Lia and hope you and yours have a good Christmas too.
I'm so happy for you. This is so exciting for you – and for your "new" sisters too.
Happy Christmas, dear Sandy, and how lovely that you're looking forward to the next year so much!
Thank you , z and Joyeux Noel to you and yours.
Thank you Helen and I hope you keep well to enjoy your Christmas. here's wishing you a Happy and healthy New Year.
Wow! What a wonderful Christmas present- and what a great 2010 to look forward to.
Dans quelques heures … Noël et sa magie. En ces temps difficiles, stoppons notre tourbillon quotidien le temps d'un moment en famille ou entre amis, retenons les lumières qui éclairent le sapin et les bougeoirs, les yeux pétillants des enfants, les rires autour d'une belle table, les souvenirs que l'on se fabrique et les traditions que l'on transmet à nos enfants.
Joyeuses fêtes à toi, et que la joie rayonne dans ta maison.
In a few hours… the magic of Christmas. In these difficult times, let's stop our daily rushing around for a moment to be with our family or friends, capture the lights of the Christmas-tree and the candles, the sparkling eyes of the children, the laughter around a beautifully-dressed table, to create memories to cherish and traditons to pass on to our children.
Happy Festivities and may joy radiate in your home.
Oh that's a lovely message. Thanks Bretonne!
Good for you Sandy, I hope you get on well with them. I discovered that I had two half brothers a few years ago. Like you my Dad remarried after divorcing my mother. After he died my step mother got in contact with me and told me about my "brothers", but I have never contacted them or met them. They didn't want to meet me.
Oh what a shame Keith. I wonder why they wouldn't meet you after their mother had gone to the trouble pf tracking you down.
i have not been as lucky. my story is similar as i never met dad. they both remarried and i have six(!) half brothers and/or sisters who probably do not know about me. i got his street address from the internet and sent him a card years ago when my mother was dying but got no reply (the card did not come back). congrats on finding the other half of your life! my grandmother withheld any mail from him as she did not want him to "upset" my mother. life is truly bizarre…enjoy!
I'm so sorry your story did not have a happy ending, Judith. Grandmothers and Mothers can have strange ideas when it comes to 'upsetting people' can't they?
I wish you many, many happy years connecting with your sisters.
That's a bit puzzling about Keith's brothers, I wonder the same, why wouldn't they meet him after their mother had gone to the trouble of tracking down Keith?
I found your blog a while ago from Guyana Girl. Very interesting reading. Wishing you all the best with your new found sister. I had a similar experience as a teenager when I met my sister from London for the first time. It was a bit of a shock for us all my dad especially because her mom never told him she was pregnant before moving away to live in England. I am a parent now and I can only imagine how painful it must be to discover your child when she is already all grown up. Imagine all that time lost! My dad has another daughter from a relationship he was in before marrying my mom. M has been a part of my life always. Living with her mom but spending weekends and holidays with us. We don't even bother to say half sisters we are sisters. I know it must have hurt my dad something awful to have not been there for his child. There I just stopped by to say hello and have launched into a life story sorry:-) All the best to you and your family for the new year.
hello Wizzy and thank you for your lovely comment. It is sad how oneparent can prevent the other from seeing their child. I'm glad you found your sister and you get on well together. I can't wait to meet my sisters after all this time.
All good wishes to you and yours for 2010.


Home > I'm speaking at 'Brides The Show' and to celebrate I'm giving away 20 pairs of tickets!
Today I have some very exciting news for all UK Smashing The Glass brides-to-be! I've been asked by the wonderful team at Brides The Show to speak at their fabulous super luxe wedding show on Sunday 5th October, and I couldn't be more thrilled!
I'll be sharing the sofa with the lovely Charley from London Bride and together we'll be telling you all our secrets on how to source the best bridal inspiration online, and what the top planning resources on the internet are.
Alongside our On The Sofa chat, you"ll also find an absolute dream line up of exhibitors, an awe-inspiring Imagination Room, and a breathtaking catwalk show. Oh, and you'll also be able to pamper yourself with bubbles from the Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar, and test out your big day look with a team of professional make up artists.
Everything's been carefully curated under one roof to help you plan your perfect wedding, and put it this way, if the show were a department store, it'd be Liberty! It's so gorgeously curated with an assemblage of brands so carefully edited that it makes for the ultimate wedding "little black book", and I'm so delighted to be a part of it.
Brides The Show is running from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th October 2014 at Islington's Business Design Centre in North London, and I'm giving away 20 pairs of tickets for Sunday 5th October (the day I'm speaking!) to you, my lovely readers.
The tickets are courtesy of Brides Magazine and Mary Jane Vaughan, STG's floral sponsor — do head over to their stand, V9, at the show (believe me, you won't want to miss it as the talented team won the Editor's Gold Design Award at the last show, and they are genuinely some of the loveliest people in the business!).
So, if you've not yet got your tickets arranged, what are you waiting for? Enter now! There are going to be so many brilliant people, suppliers and designers all under one roof this weekend, you'd be crazy to miss it.
For your chance to win, simply hop over and like the Smashing The Glass Facebook page, then come back here and and leave a comment on this post. It's as easy as that!
See you on Sunday 5th October! Please do come over and say hi. I can't wait to meet you!
– Tickets are valid for one day only on Sunday 5th October 2014.
– Winners will be selected at random. They will be contacted by email and will need to provide an address for tickets to be posted to.
Ding-Dong the bells are going to ring.
Ooooh I'd love to go to the show. Thanks for the opportunity!
Thank you for the opportunity! The show looks wonderful and I'd love to attend with my ma!
I'd absolutely love to win tickets to this and hear you speak at the show. Fingers crossed!
I'd absolutely love go to Brides The Show and hear you speak!
I'd looooove to come see you!
ooooh I'd love to attend and hear you speak.. Wish me luck!
Have a great time Karen!
ohh Yay!!!!!! I love weddings!!!!!!! I'm getting married here pretty soon to but idk wen though, bt I REALLY WANNA GET MARRIED!!!!! This year, PLZ!!!!!! Help me'!!!!!! Me WIN! PLZ'!!!!!!


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Caspar Vega
The Prince of Pulp
Caspar Vega began writing when he was eight years old, starting with profane rap songs, moving on to angsty poetry, and eventually graduating to a decent short story or two. He started taking it seriously in 2009, a few days after turning 18.
This is when he began work on what would eventually become his masterpiece debut novella The Eclectic Prince. After completing and self-publishing The Eclectic Prince in 2012, Vega's second book The Sexorcism of Amber Holloway attracted some initial interest from Portland-based publisher Eraserhead Press.
A contract never materialized, Vega remained independent, and six more books followed. Crossing many genres with noir as the strongest influence, these books dealt with varied themes including love, lust, obsession, family, heroism, and faith.
Wanting to reach a wider audience and make some actual money for once, Vega turned his attention towards screenwriting and wrote his first pilot script in early 2018. This was followed by multiple feature-length screenplays completed between 2019 and 2022.
While trying to achieve enough momentum to be a full-time artist, he supported himself with various day jobs, including working as a security guard, video store clerk, gas station attendant, call center operator, marketing copywriter and gallerist.


This signature day of summer includes a celebration of the first anniversary of the IMA's 100 Acres park. Events include yoga at dawn in the Park of the Laments, a drum circle, and performances by the Aphasia Dance Company, a company based in Belgium that was formed by Indy native Ted Stoffer. Details on all the solstice events here.


text:
#JD4Mayor
What's the challenge for 2023?
Sunday January 1, 2023
Exactly 1 year ago I wrote, "Boris Johnson is on the ropes. Will Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak replace him?" Both, was the answer. 2022 turned out to be the year of three different Prime Ministers. Something the country last experienced 170 years ago.
But whoever's in power the same problems need fixing. And this government seems to have given up trying. Despite the Brexit rhetoric they're not willing to 'take back control' and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. They hide behind pay review bodies. Train operating companies. "Global headwinds." Excuse after excuse.
Millions of people are struggling to pay their bills. Workers are forced to go on strike to avoid real-terms pay cuts. Businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Child poverty is spiralling. Savings are evaporating. Debts are mounting.
The first step to recovery is admitting that you've got a problem. Blaming everyone else doesn't cut it.
So what could the government do instead?
Well first of all – you can't cut your way to success. You don't improve people's lives by axing services they rely on. Austerity sucked the life out of much of our local resilience the first time around. We don't need a reboot. Every time a child grows up hungry you're knocking points off economic growth, while simultaneously ignoring that family's suffering.
Investment is critical. You don't create jobs out of thin air. The services we rely on are not just about emergency response. Health, education and transport are the long-term foundation of wealth generation. You don't bring energy bills down by relying on foreign fossil fuels. You don't improve productivity by forcing people into insecure jobs.
Industrial disputes didn't cause our economy to fail – it's our failing economy that's causing the industrial disputes. Railway workers, nurses, and posties are reasonable people. They're not asking for golden wallpaper. They want what we all want – to be paid properly for the job they do. We called them 'key workers' and clapped for them during the worst of the pandemic. We cannot abandon them now.
We know what's true for the North East is true for the rest of the country. Our region's economic decline was caused by disinvestment. We can only fix that by putting money back in – investing in businesses, infrastructure, and people.
Invest now, save later. Every £1 invested by the North of Tyne returns over £3 to the Treasury in payroll taxes alone – income tax and National Insurance. And that's not counting the health, wealth, and education benefits to families of having skilled workers in good jobs.
Our current devolution deal says we've got to create 10,000 new jobs over 30 years. 3 and a half years in and we should have 1,200 jobs in the pipeline. We've actually got 4,685. And we saved another 2,643 by investing in firms during the pandemic.
That's 14 years' progress in 3 and a half years.
With a deeper deal on a wider footprint we can do even more when the new North East devolution is signed into law.
170 years ago the British Empire was in crisis. Ireland was just emerging from the Great Famine. One million people had died from starvation and disease. Two million had emigrated. A fifth of the country's people gone. Ireland's population has never fully recovered.
A famine is not simply a natural disaster. It's the result of human action or inaction to prevent it. The Government in Westminster at best did too little, at worst exacerbated the problem.
That's the nightmare scenario. But the drip drip effect of hoarding power and resources in the centre means potential lies fallow in the regions. It's not just crops that are at risk of blight. People's talents are being wasted.
Soon after the year of 3 Prime Ministers Charles Dickens wrote 'A Tale of Two Cities'. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". We don't want a country permanently divided between rich and poor. We need a new doctrine of universal wealth generation: where no place and no person is left behind.
That's the challenge for 2023. Like the fireworks on New Year's Eve, if we work together we can light up the sky.
© #JD4Mayor 2023
Promoted by Richard Williams on behalf of Jamie Driscoll both at Labour North, Kings Manor, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6PA.


text:
Ingenuity Awards Ask Smithsonian Smithsonian Channel Video Contest Podcasts
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Ask Smithsonian: Do People Really Drill Holes in Their Heads?
Ask Smithsonian: What's the Difference Between Bacteria and Viruses?
The answerand why you should care (1:18)
Have a question in mind? It's your turn to Ask Smithsonian.
Hosted by: Eric Schulze
Source: Smithsonian Digital Studio
Gasp! The answer will amaze you.
Ask Smithsonian: How Long Can a Person Hold Their Breath? (1:32)
The science of earwax in under a minute
Ask Smithsonian: What's the Point of Earwax? (1:05)
Mans best friend is also one of his oldest.
Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets? (1:05)
Seeing the world through different eyes
Ask Smithsonian: What Does the World Look Like When You're Color Blind? (1:35)
Host Eric Schulze digs into the science behind these depressions.
Ask Smithsonian: What's a Dimple? (1:09)
Our host, Eric Schulze, explains how science is tackling this puzzling question from space.
Ask Smithsonian: Can Animals Predict Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters? (1:27)
Host Eric Schulze opens the floodgates of knowledge to reveal the answer.
Ask Smithsonian: Why Does My Nose Run When It's Cold Outside? (1:01)
Is a kiss really just a kiss? In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, explains why we pucker up.
Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Kiss? (1:11)
In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, weighs in on whether or not elephants can jump.
Ask Smithsonian: Can Elephants Jump? (0:50)
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In 1938, a German-Jewish businessman, Benno Thorsch, traded his camera factory in Dresden for a new life in Detroit and, later, Los Angeles. With the rise of the Third Reich, it was a move that almost certainly saved his family's life from the Nazis. And as a young boy, Steven Spielberg would even visit the camera shop in Studio City, California.
L.A. Welcomes a Camera Maker Fleeing Nazis (1:37)
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Q: Python setup config install_requires "good practices" My question here may seem really naive but I never found any clue about it on web resources.
The question is, concerning install_requires argument for setup() function or setup.cfg file, is it a good practice to mention every package used, even python built-in ones such as os for example ?
One can assume that any python environment has those common packages, so is it problematic to explicitly mention them in the setup, making it potentially over-verbose ?
Thanks

A: install_requires should include non-standard library requirements, and constraints on their versions (as needed).
For example, this would declare minimal versions for numpy and scipy, but allow any version of scikit-learn:
setup(
  # ...
  install_requires=["numpy>=1.13.3", "scipy>=0.19.1", "scikit-learn"]
)

Packages such as os, sys are part of Python's standard library, so should not be included.

*

*As @sinoroc mentioned, only direct 3rd party dependencies should be declared here. Dependencies-of-your-dependencies are handled automatically. (For example, scikit-learn depends on joblib; when the former is required, the latter will be installed).

*A list of standard library packages are listed here: https://docs.python.org/3/library/

I've found it helpful to read other packages and see how their setup.py files are defined.

*

*imbalanced-learn

*pandas

A: You should list top-level 3rd party dependencies.

*

*Don't list packages and modules from Python's standard library.

*Do list 3rd party dependencies your code directly depends on, i.e. the projects containing:

*

*the packages and modules your code imports;

*the binaries your code directly calls (in subprocesses for example).

*Don't list dependencies of your dependencies.

A: install_requires should mention only packages that don't come prepackaged with the standard library.
If you're afraid some package might not be included due to Python versioning, you can specify that your packages requires a python version bigger or equal to X.
Note: That packaging python packages is a notoriously hairy thing.
I'd recommend you take a look at pyproject.toml, these can be pip installed like any normal package and are used by some of the more modern tools like poetry

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Can dreams affect our sleep quality?
Although at times they can be completely bizarre, dreams are a normal part of sleep and an everyday occurrence in our lives.
Despite the vast majority of people being unable to remember what they dreamt the night before, we actually dream for two hours each night, usually as we enter into the 'Rapid Eye Movement' form of sleep, usually referred to as (REM).
Essentially, dreams are unavoidable, but could they be affecting the quality of your sleep? Read below to find out more.
Having a bad dream can actually cause what is referred to as a 'dream hangover', with particularly horrible nightmares making it difficult for people to fall back to sleep, and when sleep is achieved, to actually get a good quality doze!
Although we are still working on the evidence behind this, in various studies, people who dreamt happy dreams woke feeling well rested and in a great mood, as opposed to people who suffered sleep loss or were plagued with nightmares.
We still don't know for sure on the science behind this, but the mood in which we wake can impact the rest of our day, and if we wake in a happy mood, thanks to a joyful dream, it's very likely that feelings of happiness and contentedness will follow.
Our dreams are heavily influenced by our reality.
Studies have shown that people who suffer from stress or are battling depression struggle with their sleeping pattern, and if our reality reflects our dreams, then nightmares can be a common occurrence, leading to poor sleep.
Tackle the problem at the root cause.
You might not be able to influence your dreams directly, but you can work to relieve stresses and pressures in the day, leading to happier dreams and a better sleep.
Although it can at times feel incredibly destructive to be waking or jolting awake at random moments throughout the night, dreams, at their core, do not actually affect the structure of your dreams.
You will still pass through the usual stages of sleep with ease.
Dreams do however affect valuable rest, although the structure remains the same, regular waking and moving in the night can lessen the quality of sleep.


Bangkok is one of my favorite Asian cities. And I found myself back again in Bangkok for a family vacation. I'm not a fan of package tours for international trips. But in this instance, it was cheaper and more convenient, especially since my niece was with us. It was my first time to see Bangkok's impressive new airport, the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
We had a half-day city tour as soon as we arrived. We were first taken to a relatively new temple (I was not able to get the name since it's not in the usual tourist radar when visiting Bangkok). But for people who've seen a Thai temple for the first time, I'm sure it looked impressive.
Since we were to visit two temples, I had requested our guides to take us to Wat Pho, the oldest and one of the largest temples in Bangkok. Said to be the birthplace of Thai massage, it's most known for its gargantuan Reclining Buddha which is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.
Another element of this temple compound which I find equally impressive are four large chedis or stupas dedicated to the first four kings of Thailand's Chakri Dynasty, Rama I, II, III, and IV. Each is 41 meters high and intricately decorated with tiles.
And just like in any tour, they brought us to a jewelry shop! At least it wasn't as bad as our Hong Kong-Shenzen tour. We didn't stay up late since we want to be in Chatuchak Market early tomorrow to shop!
Thanks! I want to visit northern Thailand next time I visit. I'm always in Bangkok! Haay! Hehe!
reminds me of my bangkok trips, my last one was 2 years ago (for 15 years, bkk was my transit point, it was like i was in bkk many times a year, more than 10x a year), still i did not tire going back to temples and the grand palace. beautiful pictures you have again!
It's been years since my last trip to Bangkok. I hope to visit soon!
Did you go to Ayutthaya? If you did, please post some photos here. Thanks.


text:
The Design Connection in Biological Tracking Systems
Photo: Gulls of the family Laridae, by Oleg Bor, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.
In my last article, I summarized a lecture presented at CELS (Conference on Engineering in Living Systems) that presented a model for adaptation based on the engineering principles employed in human engineered tracking systems. Now I will address the connection between these principles and the design inference.
As a review, biological adaptation is often driven by systems that employ three subsystems:
Sensors that monitor specific environmental conditions.
Logic-based analyzers such as switches that trigger responses when certain conditions occur.
Mechanisms that drive targeted output responses.
Irreducible Complexity and Timescales
To say that such tracking systems could not have evolved gradually almost goes without saying. Many examples of NGE do not even directly help an individual organism but only an entire population acting in concert. For instance, increasing the mutation rate to rapidly generate targeted genetic variation will often assist only a few lucky individuals to survive extreme threats such as an antibiotic.
More generally, not only are all tracking systems irreducibly complex, but they require the subsystems to be meticulously integrated. And the integrating components, such as switches (here, here), correspond to far greater amounts of information than what could have been generated in the available timeframes. This challenge is highlighted by the fact that timescales (waiting times) grow exponentially with the amount of required new information (here, here).
The Design Connection
The presence of highly controlled adaptive mechanisms directly correlates to life employing top-down design that must meet numerous tight engineering constraints. If organisms resulted from haphazard undirected processes, their design constraints would be few and highly flexible. Altering anatomy and/or physiology should then be relatively easy, and the same undirected processes could potentially drive the changes. In contrast, the presence of numerous tight constraints correlates with altering the system being far more difficult. Significant changes would typically require highly specified and coordinated modifications.
Szallasi et al. in Systems Modeling in Cellular Biology tacitly came to this same conclusion:
An often noted reservation against the type of analogies between biological and engineered systems we brought forward states that these two types of complex systems arise in fundamentally different ways, namely through evolution versus purpose-driven, top-down design (see, for example, Bosl and Li (2005)). Clearly, evolvability is of paramount importance for living systems (Kirschner and Gerhart, 1998). Here, we think of evolvability simply (maybe naively) in the sense of controlled and structured change in lineages, rather than cells, on long time scales in response to perhaps large variations in the environment. At the population level (of all engineered systems of one type), evidently progress in engineering fulfills similar criteria. [Emphasis added.]
Note how the authors do not describe evolution using such traditional terms as "random" and "undirected." Instead, they describe change as "controlled" and "structured." Their description of evolvability sounds less like neo-Darwinian evolution than like technological innovation.
Research Coordinator, Center for Science and Culture
Dr. Brian Miller is Research Coordinator for the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. He holds a B.S. in physics with a minor in engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in physics from Duke University. He speaks internationally on the topics of intelligent design and the impact of worldviews on society. He also has consulted on organizational development and strategic planning, and he is a technical consultant for Ideashares, a virtual incubator dedicated to bringing innovation to the marketplace.
Follow Brian
anatomyantibioticsbiologyCELS 2021Conference on Engineering in Living Systemsenvironmental conditionsevolutionevolvabilityinformationintelligent designirreducibly complex systemsneo-Darwinian evolutionphysiologysensorsswitchestechnological innovationtimescalestracking systemswaiting timesZoltan Szallasi


text:
This Week's TV: Will The Wachowskis' TV Show Be As Crazy As Their Films?
Filed to: what to watchFiled to: what to watch
lion's mouth opens
The Wachowski siblings and J. Michael Straczynski's globespanning new show Sense8 hits Netflix this week, and it has some intriguing characters. Plus, check out the pilot episode of the new scifi procedural Stitchers, and clips from the final episodes of this season of Adventure Time.
Adventure Time (6 PM, Cartoon Network)
There's new Adventure Time every day this week! First, Finn & Jake storm Magic Man's house to rescue his new apprentice.
The Lion's Mouth Opens (9 PM, HBO)
This short documentary follows Marianna Palka, whose father has Huntington's Disease, as she finds out if she shares his illness:
This verité documentary is about confronting life's most daunting moments with purpose and grace, and about the impact of genetic bonds and genetic testing on the people we love and on how we face our destiny. Stunningly courageous young filmmaker-actress Marianna Palka gathers her friends around her as she finds out whether she has inherited Huntington's Disease, an incurable degenerative disorder which took her father and now has a 50% chance of taking her body and her mind. Intimate, suspenseful, and emotional, with sensitive verité cinematography by Nick Higgins, and with a title taken from the Bob Dylan poem which Marianna recites about Woody Guthrie who died from Huntington's Disease, The Lion's Mouth Opens ultimately inspires us to find a new dream no matter what.
StarTalk (11 PM, National Geographic)
Look out, we've got a couple of badasses when one of our favorite astronauts joins Neil deGrasse Tyson this week:
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews astronaut Chris Hadfield and discusses social media in space with studio guests Eugene Mirman and Mike Massimino.
Community (Streaming, Yahoo! Screen)
It's really happening: Community's sixth season is coming to a close. (Now we need that movie.) And it's going to be an appropriately meta episode, with Abed asking everyone to pitch their ideas for the seventh season of a TV show centered on the Greendale study group. Oh, and a departed cast member makes an appearance.
A fed up Lumpy Space Princess leaves the woods for a glamorous career in babysitting.
iZombie (9 PM, The CW)
It sounds like a group of drunken teenagers have a literal run-in with a zombie one night, and Liv finds herself taken back to high school days. Meanwhile, Major decides to investigate Blaine's deli.
Stitchers (9 PM, ABC Family)
While iZombie's heroine retrieves the memories of the deceased through eating brain's, the heroine of Stitchers relieves them in a different way:
ABC Family's first procedural drama, "Stitchers," follows Kirsten, a young woman recruited into a covert government agency to be 'stitched' into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to investigate murders and decipher mysteries that otherwise would have gone to the grave. Working alongside Kirsten is Cameron, a brilliant neuroscientist whose passion for the program is evident in his work. The secret program is headed by Maggie, a skilled veteran of covert operations, and includes Linus, a socially immature bioelectrical engineer and communications technician. Kirsten's roommate, Camille, a gifted computer science grad student, is also recruited to use her skills to assist Kirsten in her new role as a 'stitcher.'
If you're itching to check out the show, you can watch the pilot above.
After a walrus race accident, Gunther starts to experience strange visions.
Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman (10 PM, Science)
Why people lie. Included: the brains of pathological liars; and whether technology makes it easier to be dishonest.
Finn's dad Martin the Human fights for freedom on a strange new planet!
Aquarius (9 PM, NBC)
The Charles Manson crime show continues:
Drug dealer Art Gladner (Shaun Duke, "90210") is found murdered, and the chief suspect is Shafe's (Grey Damon) snitch, Mike Vickery (Jason Ralph, "A Most Violent Year"). Hodiak (David Duchovny) agrees to help Shafe exonerate Vickery. In exchange, Shafe takes rookie Charmain Tully (Claire Holt) undercover into the Manson Family to find out where Manson (Gethin Anthony) has Emma (Emma Dumont). They succeed, but not without consequences, especially for Charmain.
Wayward Pines (9 PM, Fox)
After the Burkes' run-in with Sheriff Pope, they head back into town to discover that Ethan has been named in a new leadership role in Wayward Pines. With his new role, Nurse Pam tells Ethan he must call a reckoning for Peter McCall (guest star Justin Kirk), a "traitor" who painted graffiti on Main Street. Meanwhile, Ben goes to his first day of school at Wayward Pines Academy, where he gets private tutoring from teacher Megan Fisher (guest star Hope Davis) and Theresa is offered a job as a realtor.
Hannibal (10 PM, NBC)
Dr. Lecter is back for a third season of questionable cuisine:
Having successfully escaped FBI capture, Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving through the European landscape, with Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) in tow. But Dr. Lecter's old habits and opulent tastes are still on display as he settles into a new identity and life in Florence, Italy, working at the Palazzo Capponi museum. Glimpses into the past help inform his relationship with Bedelia, a pairing not clearly defined as friend or foe.
Lost Girl (10 PM, Syfy)
It's time for the fifth season finale with the fae:
Bo and Co. attend a party with a mission to take down a new enemy.
Olympus (11 PM, Syfy)
Two — you read it two — main characters bite the dust. But who?
Between (Streaming as of 11:30 PM, Netflix)
This week in Pretty Lake, the episode is titled "Crossing Lines."
Major Lazer (12 AM, FXX) & Axe Cop (12:15 AM, FXX)
Saddle up your dinosaurs, it's animation time.
Sense8 (Streaming, Netflix)
What happens when the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski team up to make TV? We'll find out when Sense8 launches on Netflix this week. In the wake of a tragic death, eight very different individuals from around the world discover that their minds have become linked. Each of the episodes will focus on one of the characters and their particular story.
How crazy will the series be? The Wachoswkis say they filmed a live birth for the show.
The week of Adventure Time is capped off by the season finale:
It's election day in the Candy Kingdom but Princess Bubblegum's attention is diverted by a mysterious presence in the sky.
The Messengers (9 PM, The CW)
The Messengers struggle to stay together and on mission when an unforeseen setback causes them to question whether being an Angel is causing them more harm than good. In the process of pursuing their own desires, the Messengers discover that destiny has a strange way of bringing them back together.
Bitten (10 PM, Syfy)
Season 2 ends with the return of a familiar face, a death in the Pack and the final showdown with Aleister.
Orphan Black (9 PM, BBC America)
When Rachel makes a promise to Sarah, it comes with a hefty price. Meanwhile, Helena and Gracie work with the Hendrixes, and Donnie takes Kellerman to task. Over at Castor, Coady and Benchman scheme to track down the Castor Original, and Rudy descends on DYAD for a much needed asset.
Game of Thrones (9 PM, HBO)
Stannis (Stephen Dillane) confronts a troubling decision. Jon (Kit Harington) returns to The Wall. Mace (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) visits the Iron Bank. Arya (Maisie Williams) encounters someone from her past. Dany (Emilia Clarke) reluctantly oversees a traditional celebration of athleticism.
Halt and Catch Fire (10 PM, AMC)
After meeting Sara's father, Joe begins a new job. Meanwhile, Gordon grapples with his new freedom as Donna is blindsided by Cameron's surprising hire at Mutiny.
Penny Dreadful (10 PM, Showtime)
Sir Malcolm gets tragic news. A glorious night turns to horror for Vanessa.
Salem (10 PM, WGN)
As the Countess Marburg prepares for the imminent arrival of the "Starry Messenger" and her lover, the Dark Lord, Mary stages a last ditch effort to thwart the eternal Witch's plans, but her success or failure may rest in the hands of others who each have something important at stake. After getting devastating news, Anne Hale finds she is faced with making a time-sensitive decision that could have far reaching consequences, and it takes knowing words from another interested party to strengthen her resolve. Even so, the young Witch finds herself at a crossroads and faced with yet another important choice to make – a choice that may determine the fate of all in Salem. Meanwhile, Cotton Mather faces his imminent demise - the result of Magistrate Hawthorne's jealous treachery - until an unlikely party intervenes. But his rescue could come at a price that he may be unwilling – or even unable — to pay.


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Recorder letters: Private car parks, KMT thanks, Brexit and Bodgers art
Stephen Sklayne was fined £100 after the ramp on his mobility vehicle broke leaving him stranded in Newbury Park car park for more than two hours.
Letters, contributions and comments sent in from Recorder readers this week.
Private car parks need regulating
Terry Sykes, Trinity Road, Barkingside, writes:
There were two adjacent articles in last week's Recorder about the heavy handed practice of private car parking companies, both in Newbury Park.
The incident of the disabled man being fined £100 when he could prove that he could not drive away because his mobility vehicle had broken down and was waiting to be rescued by the RAC beggars belief. How heartless of the parking company to proceed with the fine in those circumstances. And the appeals panel is no better for rejecting the appeal.
There are car parks all over the country that are run by private car parking companies, all of which seem to work to their own set of rules. There seems to be no legislation in place to regulate these companies. What gives them the legal power to impose parking fines in the first place? The position seems to be that if a company puts up signs in a private car park informing drivers that a fine can be imposed, for example for parking beyond the time limit, the driver is deemed to have entered into a contract, whether they have read the sign or not. Often people parking their vehicles do not walk around the car park looking for such signs; in any event, knowledge of the parking company's rules does not help anybody who cannot drive out of a car park because of circumstances beyond their control, as was the case of the man who parked outside of Pets at Home.
A driver's individual position should always be taken into account: if the parking company does not do it, then certainly the appeals procedure should redress the situation. Car parking companies are, in effect, in a position where they are imposing their own sanctions on errant drivers without being endowed with any particular legal powers by legislation. In other words, they are no more empowered to dictate rules on parking and impose fines than any individual would be.
There is obviously a great deal of money to be made out of private car parks, both by the companies that control them and by the DVLA, the government body that is entrusted to safeguard registered vehicle keepers' information.
I think that it is high time that the government overhauled this situation and brought in some rules of its own to regulate organisations: car parking companies should not be allowed to continue with what are, in many cases, appalling tactics.
Missed chance to thank volunteers
Ken Gaunt, Greenslade Road, Barking, writes:
I wish to say well done to Laura Everett and Alan Hardy for their article in last week's Recorder concerning the closure of the KMT and nothing said by the previous management.
As Laura and Alan rightly said the last show was brilliant with a packed house and standing ovation. But after the show it just seemed to fade out, the management didn't make any kind of announcement to the audience or volunteers for their valued support throughout the years.
It was a perfect opportunity for the previous management to thank the theatre supporters who came show after show, year after year and also the volunteers - but nothing.
The show just ended and that was it.
Nothing was said about the theatre remaining open with new owners Vision, as far as most of the theatre supporters know the KMT has closed and is not re-opening again.
This was again an opportunity missed by the previous management not to mention the new owners Vision, the panto in December and new shows which, will hopefully, continue and many of the previous theatre's companies will still come back and use the KMT.
Remain MPs are undemocratic
Will Podmore, Clavering Road, Wanstead, writes:
John Molloy (Recorder letters) writes that prorogation "means MPs won't have time to pass laws to stop a no-deal Brexit".
Well, MPs have proved Mr Molloy wrong. They did have time to pass a motion overturning their previous decisions to respect our referendum decision and to trigger Article 50.
Why on earth does Mr Molloy think it undemocratic for the government to try to carry out our majority democratic decision to leave? Mr Molloy asks, "are we turning into a country like Putin's Russia and Xi Jinping's China. Not allowed to speak our minds freely and to demonstrate[?]"
Well, the answer is obviously no. Mr Molloy has just proven with his letter that we can speak our minds freely. The demonstrators, pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit, are still visibly demonstrating outside Westminster.
Mr Molloy calls it a coup when the government tries to get parliament to do what it promised to do, carry out our referendum decision. No, that is not the coup.
The coup is when the pro-EU faction of MPs acts to overturn our majority democratic decision, by breaking parliament's own rules, with the connivance of a biased and dishonest Speaker.
The 17.4 million majority voted, in a free, fair, legitimate democratic referendum, to leave the EU. We know that all Conservative and Labour MPs were elected on manifesto pledges to respect our referendum decision. Now almost all Labour MPs and all too many Conservative MPs are breaking their pledges.
We know that these MPs are trashing their earlier decisions - they voted to hold the referendum, they voted to enact the Withdrawal Act, and most importantly they voted to trigger Article 50, unconditionally, deal or no deal.
But now they are in contempt against the laws they themselves passed. No wonder we have contempt for them.
The Johnson government appears to be carrying out - at last - our referendum decision by committing to leaving the EU on October 31, deal or no deal. The pro-EU faction of MPs trying to overturn our democratic decision, not the government, is the threat to democracy.
Not a fan of art on Bodgers facia
Mr A Still, York Road, Ilford, writes:
These paintings on Bodgers facia - what a disappointment, they are not good. Where are the future Canalettos, Picassos, Klimts, Rockwells, Turners, Constables, Hockneys, Lowrys, Pollocks, Goyas etc, etc.
The pieces on Bodgers are just cartoonism. I could do better myself and I am 85.
I could have gone to University to study art but when I left school, I was the main bread winner so it had to be work.
Get Dulux to supply paint, brushes, platform, sheeting and two assistants (because I am old and feeble), a bottle of Rosé and I'd just about make it.


The top U.N. weapons inspector for Iraq is welcoming Baghdad's apparent decision to begin destroying scores of its short range missiles, something Hans Blix has ordered Iraq to start by Saturday. The Bush administration is reacting with skepticism.
Just hours before a new report on Iraqi disarmament is set to be made public, Iraq changed course indicating it would adhere to U.N. demands to begin destroying its Al-Samoud 2 missiles. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said, "They say they accept it in principle and it's to start tomorrow."
But as Mr. Blix points out, that pledge still has to be verified, although he is already describing it as a positive sign. "It is a very significant piece of real disarmament," said Hans Blix.
But the Bush administration says Iraq has no real intention of disarming. A White House spokesman charges Iraq continues to produce more of the missiles, calling this latest announcement from Baghdad continued deception.
Baghdad's apparent decision to destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles now comes just hours before release of a new report on Iraq's cooperation with weapons inspectors, which is again expected to say there has been only limited progress at best.


Product Code: Synodontis Black Panther 2.5"
The Black Panther synodontis is a hybrid. BioAquatix has been carefullly working on selecting favorable traits from multiple synodontis species to acquire a very Dark body with white edge fins and black spots scattered over their body giving it is unique dark coloration. This catfish gets to grow to 5 inches and is very active during the day following a period of adaptation. This fish requires some hiding places to thrive; they will have a tendency to hide if the tank is too bright. This is a peaceful fish which gets along well with more aggressive fish such as cichlids.
Orders received or payed on Tuesday will be shipped the following week.
We also use ice/heat when necessary.
weather and possible other factors are in play.
We also use ice and heat when necessary.
We recommend using USPS hold for pick up when the weather is getting cold.
All fish are purged for at least 24 hrs before shipment.


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Eating out may hurt work performance, study shows
|In Saxon Blog, Wellness
Originally posted August 01, 2013 by Stephen Smith on https://www.cbsnews.com
Eating lunch outside the office will relax you – but it may also hinder your job performance, according to new research.
Scientists at Humboldt University in Berlin say that eating at a restaurant with a friend reduces "cognitive control and error monitoring." By contrast, workers who ate alone at their desk had no such adverse effects.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, tracked participants who ate alone at their desk and those who walked to a restaurant to lunch with a friend. Each group consumed the same exact meal but the desk lunchers ate their food under time restrictions.
A mood rating questionnaire showed "a relaxation effect of the restaurant as compared to the plain meal situation," the study said.
Researchers also found that after the meal, those who ate at a restaurant were calmer and sleepier compared to those who ate solo at their desks. The restaurant eaters also demonstrated "reduced cognitive control" compared to the desk eaters.
The study's authors said it was impossible to gauge the impact of each variable in the study, such as the social context (alone vs. with a friend), availability of time (limited vs. plenty) and environment (small office vs. spacious restaurant).
The researchers suggested that accountants and scientists who eat out may see their work performance decline – but artists may actually see benefits.
"Reduced cognitive control is a disadvantage when close self-monitoring of performance and detailed attention to errors is required, such as in laboratory and factory work or numerical processing," they wrote. "In other situations, an attenuation of cognitive control may be advantageous, such as when social harmony or creativity is desired."


text:
Bunker è un comune degli Stati Uniti d'America, situato nello Stato del Missouri, diviso tra la contea di Reynolds e la contea di Dent.

Collegamenti esterni

Comuni del Missouri

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Kazakhstan and Jordan: 20 Years of Cooperation, New Horizons Ahead
By Bоlat Sarsenbayev in Op-Ed on 21 August 2013
The diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were established 20 years ago, on February 8, 1993.
Jordan has traditionally played an important role in the political process in the Middle East. Jordan supports good relations with Western countries and on the other hand it is an important part of the Arab-Muslim community that carries out flexible and pragmatic foreign policy with a non-confrontational approach.
During the 20-year history of our diplomatic relations, Jordan has become one of our closest partners in the Middle East. Astana and Amman share similar views on a variety of regional and global issues. Friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries have been supported both bilaterally and within the international organizations and forums.
Kazakhstan has become the priority for Jordan, which is specifically stressed by the leadership of the Kingdom who instructed to provide all possible assistance to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in performing its activities.
Although the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established 20 years ago, the active phase of the bilateral cooperation has begun with the mutual official visits of Jordan's King Abdullah II to Astana in November 2005 and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Amman in November 2006.
Since that time, the truly confidential and brotherly relations have been developed between the two leaders. Suffice it to say that over the past six years our President has paid two official visits to Amman and King Abdullah II came to Astana four times on official and private visits. In addition, another four bilateral visits were made by the heads of government of the two countries: two visits by Prime Ministers, Ministers of Defense of Jordan Maarouf Al-Bakhit in 2006 and Samir Al-Rifai in 2010 to Astana and two visits by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov to Amman in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Before Kazakhstan opened its Embassy in Amman, Kazakhstan's Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Cairo Bolatkhan Taizhan, Askar Mussinov and Baghdad Amreyev had been responsible for the development of the Kazakhstan-Jordanian cooperation as non-resident ambassadors in Amman.
In 2007, according to the Decree of President Nursultan Nazarbayev as of 2006, I was appointed the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with residence in Amman.
Taking into account the economic opportunities of Jordan, the Embassy mainly focused on the development of the political relationship, which today has reached a high level.
Jordan continuously provides support for Kazakhstan's initiatives on the international arena such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, the Astana Economic Forum, the International Conference "From a Nuclear Test Ban to a Nuclear-Free-Weapons World", EXPO 2017, as well as to our activities in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as at many other international conferences and events.
In 2010 and 2011, Amman supported Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the OSCE and the OIC through the active participation in the main high-level international events of our country such as the OSCE Summit and the OIC Foreign Ministers Meeting.
In August 2011, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judah attended the meeting on providing the humanitarian assistance to Somalia, following which Jordan supplied to Somalia 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid and provided food for two thousand families, in a sign of support for Kazakhstan's efforts in the framework of its OIC chairmanship.
Kazakhstan, taking into account the current difficult socioeconomic situation, allocated to Jordan through the OIC US$200,000 for Syrian refugees located on the territory of the Kingdom.
Despite the difficult economic situation in the Kingdom (the budget deficit is more than US$2 billion), high transport costs and the fact that Jordan is a recipient country, over the 20 years of the diplomatic relations, we have managed to reach specific results to enhance the trade, economic and investment cooperation. The legal framework has been formed; three meetings of the Kazakhstan-Jordanian Intergovernmental Committee on Trade, Economic, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation and four meetings of the Joint Business Council were held. A commercial centre for the trade promotion "Jordan Gate" was opened in Astana.
There are prospects for further development of trade and economic relations. The sides identified the main sectors of the cooperation which are agriculture, pharmaceutical industry and energy. Taking into account the needs of Jordan in grain and food, which makes up to one million tons per year, the Kingdom represents a particular interest for Kazakhstan as an important market for exporting domestic agricultural products.
Jordanian business circles are already investing in the Kazakhstan economy. An increasing number of Jordanian companies are entering the Kazakhstan market.
In the framework of the Regional Business Forum chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Kazakhstan Asset Issekeshev, dedicated to the development of investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Middle East, held in Abu Dhabi on October 24, 2011, Jordan's largest producer of pharmaceutical products "Hikma Pharmaceuticals" announced its readiness to invest more than US$400 million in the construction of a pharmaceutical factory in the Almaty region.
In addition, the EICO Al-Eqbal Investment Company expressed interest in investing more than US$50 million in long-term energy projects (in developing renewable energy sources) that require financing on the territory of Kazakhstan.
This year, the Royal Jordan airline company jointly with the Villa Tour company plans to open direct flights from Amman to Almaty, which, along with a simplified visa regime, will boost the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the tourism field. It is expected Air Astana will also start regular flights in this direction, since Air Astana and Royal Jordan are planning to sign a special agreement.
In 2012, Jordan was included in the list of 48 countries, whose nationals have the right to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan under the simplified visa regime. The holders of diplomatic and service passports of Kazakhstan and Jordan are exempt from visa requirements. Kazakhstan nationals can obtain a Jordanian visa upon arrival at the airport in Amman.
There are also conditions for the development of the military and military-technical cooperation. Chairman of the Jordanian Forces' Joint Chiefs of Staff General Khalid Al-Sarayrah visited Astana in January 2010, when he met Minister of Defense Adilbek Dzhaksybekov to discuss opportunities to establish a joint venture for the production of modern high-quality military products.
In 2011, Minister Dzhaksybekov visited Jordan. This visit initiated the bilateral participation in the military exhibitions KADEX in Kazakhstan and SOFEX in Jordan. Since 2011, the Kazakhstan and Jordanian Special Forces Units take part in joint international exercises and competitions, demonstrating high results in military training.
The cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere has successfully developed over these years. The Cultural Days of Kazakhstan in Jordan and the Days of the Kazakh Films were conducted in Amman, where the Jordanian audience was introduced to the Kazakh art, films and historical artefacts such as the Issyk golden warrior prince and films made by the Shacken Aimanov Kazakhfilm studio.
Every year, our talented musicians present the Kazakh art to the Jordanian public at various festivals and concerts organized by the Kazakhstan Embassy and universities. The famous musical group Ulytau visited Jordan in 2009, while delegations from such universities as the Kazakh National University of Arts under the direction of People's Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Rector Aiman Mussakhodzhayeva, the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory led by People's Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Rector Zhaniya Aubakirova, and the Gumilev Eurasian National University, visited Jordan several times.
The twin city relationship was established between the capitals, Astana and Amman. The Al-Farabi Centre for the Kazakh Language and Culture will be opened this year at the Jordan University together with the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. In 2010, one of the central streets of Amman was named after President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In January 2012, one of the streets of Astana was named after King Hussein bin Talal, the father of the current monarch.
Today Kazakhstan is viewed as an important partner for Jordan with a great political weight on the international arena and large economic potential. The work of the two embassies signifies the importance of the mutually beneficial relationship.
In a short period of time, Kazakhstan and Jordan have developed close constructive relationship on a parliamentary level, which is marked by the mutual visits of the parliamentary delegations of the two countries. Kazakhstan deputies paid official visits to Jordan including Adil Akhmetov, Kuanysh Sultanov, Kenzhegali Sagadiyev, and Mukhtar Altynbayev. In turn, President of the Jordanian Senate Taher Masri, current Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, deputies Ahmad Tarauneh, Ghazi bin Zaben, Ahmad Kaabneh, Leila Abu Hassan and Uafa Bani Mustafa visited Kazakhstan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan plays a significant role in implementing tasks assigned by our head of state. During conferences, workshops and sessions at relevant international and regional levels, bilateral meetings of the foreign ministers of the two countries are held on a permanent basis, through which our bilateral relations have been developed and strengthened.
Due to the significant effects of the Arab Spring phenomenon, we consider it important to strengthen a Middle East vector of the foreign policy of Kazakhstan, which will raise our country's role as a bridge between the East and the West, and as an important crossroads of international diplomacy.
As the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as a non-resident Ambassador to Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, I am greatly honoured to represent Kazakhstan in the region, which used to be the Sham land. The Kazakhstan Embassy in Jordan will continue to actively promote national interests of Kazakhstan and the development of bilateral relations with our host nation.
The author is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Jordan.


The Flambeau Medium HD Case that has a Zerust which emits an invisible, odorless, toxic vapor which diffuses throughout the case. These molecules cling to metal surfaces forming a barrier that seals out rust and corrosion until the object is removed from the case. After removal, the molecules evaporate. Each case has a pressure release screw for airline travel also, includes over-molded handles and thick foam lining.


text:
Hr.Ms. Van Nes kan verwijzen naar verschillende schepen bij de Nederlandse marine die vernoemd zijn naar viceadmiraal Aert Jansse van Nes. Van Nes (1626–1693) was een Nederlands marineofficier uit de 17e eeuw
 Vice-Admiraal Van Nes (1804), een Nederlandse kanonneerschoener
 Zr.Ms. Aert van Nes (1863), een Nederlands schroefstoomschip der 4e klasse
 Hr.Ms. Van Nes (1931), een Nederlandse torpedobootjager van de Admiralenklasse
 Hr.Ms. Van Nes (1967), een Nederlands fregat van de Van Speijkklasse
 Hr.Ms. Van Nes (1994), een Nederlands fregat van de Karel Doormanklasse