Posted on 10 May, 2016 by Felipe Lavín Z.
Life is a funny thing, you know. But I've always thought thirty was about it. Beyond that would be horrible to be alive. Until I got to be thirty-one. Then, "why, I ain't so shabby", you know. "I'll hang in a while". As you go along, you realize this whole concept of growing up is… you're not grown up until the day they put you six feet under. You're never grown up.


text:
=head1 CONTACT

  Please email comments or questions to the public Ensembl
  developers list at <http://lists.ensembl.org/mailman/listinfo/dev>.

  Questions may also be sent to the Ensembl help desk at
  <helpdesk.org>.

=cut

use strict;
use warnings;

use Getopt::Long;

my ($TMP_DIR, $TMP_FILE, $ld_file);

GetOptions('tmpdir=s'  => \$ImportUtils::TMP_DIR,
	   'tmpfile=s' => \$ImportUtils::TMP_FILE,
	   'ldfile=s'  => \$ld_file);

$TMP_DIR = $ImportUtils::TMP_DIR;
$TMP_FILE = $ImportUtils::TMP_FILE;

#added default options

#first of all, sort the file by position

`sort -n -k 1 -o $ld_file $ld_file` unless $ld_file =~ /gz$/; #order snps by position

#now, read the file, and convert it to the AA,Aa or aa format
my $seq_region_start;
my $individual_id;
my $population_id;
my $seq_region_id;
my $allele_1;
my $allele_2;
my $previous_seq_region_start = 0;

$ld_file =~ /dump_data_(\d+)\_(\d+)/;
$population_id = $1;
$seq_region_id = $2;
my %individual_information = (); #hash containing relation snps->individuals
my %alleles_information = (); #hash containing a record of alleles in the variation. A will be the major and a the minor. When more than
my $buffer = {};
#2 alleles per variation, genotype will be discarded
#get the seq_region_id and population_id from the file name
if($ld_file =~ /gz$/) {
	open IN, "gzip -dc $ld_file |";
}
else {
	open IN,"<$ld_file" or die "Could not open input file: $ld_file\n";
}

while (<IN>){
    chomp;
    ($seq_region_start,$individual_id, $allele_1,$allele_2) = split; #get all the fields in the file

	next unless $seq_region_start and $individual_id and $population_id and $allele_1 and $allele_2;

    if ($previous_seq_region_start == 0 or $seq_region_start == $previous_seq_region_start){
	$previous_seq_region_start = $seq_region_start;
	if ($allele_1 ne 'N' and $allele_2 ne 'N'){
	    $alleles_information{$population_id}{$allele_1}++;
	    $alleles_information{$population_id}{$allele_2}++;

	    $individual_information{$population_id}{$individual_id}{allele_1} = $allele_1;
	    $individual_information{$population_id}{$individual_id}{allele_2} = $allele_2;
	}
    }
    else{
	#at this point, we have seen all variations for individual, time to convert genotype and print to file
	foreach my $population (keys %alleles_information){
	    next if (keys %{$alleles_information{$population}} > 2); #skip variations with 3 alleles
	    convert_genotype($alleles_information{$population},$individual_information{$population});
	    #print all individuals to a file
	    map {print_buffered ($buffer,"$TMP_DIR/$TMP_FILE\.$population_id\.$seq_region_id",
				 join("\t",$seq_region_id,$previous_seq_region_start, $previous_seq_region_start,
				      $population, $_,
				      $individual_information{$population}{$_}{genotype})."\n")} keys %{$individual_information{$population}};
	}
	#and finally, empty structures
	%alleles_information = ();
	%individual_information = ();
	$previous_seq_region_start = $seq_region_start;
	if ($allele_1 ne 'N' and $allele_2 ne 'N'){
	    $alleles_information{$population_id}{$allele_1}++;
	    $alleles_information{$population_id}{$allele_2}++;

	    $individual_information{$population_id}{$individual_id}{allele_1} = $allele_1;
	    $individual_information{$population_id}{$individual_id}{allele_2} = $allele_2;
	}
    }
}
close IN or die "Could not close input file";
#print remaining region, if has 2 alleles
foreach my $population (keys %alleles_information){
    if (keys %{$alleles_information{$population}} <= 2){
	convert_genotype($alleles_information{$population},$individual_information{$population});
	#print all individuals to a file
	map {print_buffered ($buffer,"$TMP_DIR/$TMP_FILE\.$population_id\.$seq_region_id",
			     join("\t",$seq_region_id,$previous_seq_region_start, $previous_seq_region_start,
				  $population, $_,
				  $individual_information{$population}{$_}{genotype})."\n")} keys %{$individual_information{$population}};
    }
}
print_buffered($buffer);
#and run ld calculation
my $file = "$TMP_DIR/$TMP_FILE\.$population_id\.$seq_region_id"; #file containing the genotype in the AA format
#once the files are created, we have to calculate the ld
my $call .= "calc_genotypes $file $file\.out";
#print $call,"\n";
system($call);
unlink("$TMP_DIR/$TMP_FILE\.$population_id\.$seq_region_id");

#
# Converts the genotype into the required format for the calculation of the pairwise_ld value: AA, Aa or aa
# From the Allele table, will select the alleles and compare to the alleles in the genotype
#

sub convert_genotype{
    my $alleles_information = shift; #reference to the hash containing the alleles for the variation present in the genotypes
    my $individual_information = shift; #reference to a hash containing the values to be written to the file
    my @alleles_ordered; #the array will contain the alleles ordered by apparitions in the genotypes (only 2 values possible)

    @alleles_ordered = sort({$alleles_information->{$b} <=> $alleles_information->{$a}} keys %{$alleles_information});

    #let's convert the allele_1 allele_2 to a genotype in the AA, Aa or aa format, where A corresponds to the major allele and a to the minor
    foreach my $individual_id (keys %{$individual_information}){
	    #if both alleles are different, this is the Aa genotype
	    if ($individual_information->{$individual_id}{allele_1} ne $individual_information->{$individual_id}{allele_2}){
		$individual_information->{$individual_id}{genotype} = 'Aa';
	    }
	    #when they are the same, must find out which is the major
	    else{
		if ($alleles_ordered[0] eq $individual_information->{$individual_id}{allele_1}){
		    #it is the major allele
		    $individual_information->{$individual_id}{genotype} = 'AA';
		}
		else{
		    $individual_information->{$individual_id}{genotype} = 'aa';
		}

	    }
	}
}

sub print_buffered {
    my $buffer = shift;
    my $filename = shift;
    my $text = shift;

    local *FH;

    if( ! $filename ) {
	# flush the buffer
	foreach my $file (keys %{$buffer}){
	    open( FH, ">>$file" ) or die;
	    print FH $buffer->{ $file };
	    close FH;
	}

    } else {
	$buffer->{ $filename } .= $text;
	if( length( $buffer->{ $filename } ) > 10_000 ) {
	    open( FH, ">>$filename" ) or die;
	    print FH $buffer->{ $filename };
	    close FH;
	    $buffer->{ $filename } = '';
	}
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Today's car buying and leasing customers give more consideration to how environmentally friendly a model is than ever before. Compared to just five years ago when environmental friendliness was in one survey1 ranked the 12th most influential factor, a recent study2 found the influence of emissions to rank in fifth place.
With air pollution and public health statistics linked to vehicle emissions having come to the fore over the last year or so, the drive towards low emissions cars is understandable and encouraging. The question is, how low is low enough?
Are diesel engines still worth considering?
While questions have been posted over diesel in recent times, the latest 'Euro 6' engines fuelled by the black nozzle are the cleanest ever developed thanks to strides in various technologies and processes. Such 'EU 6' diesel powerplants typically emit less than a sixth of the levels of NOx that older diesel cars produce3. Cars meeting this uppermost European standard look set to be exempt4 from the ultra-low emissions zone that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is likely to introduce in 2019.
A wide range of marques sold by Inchcape offer diesel models with emissions below the psychological barrier of 100g/km CO2, which signifies significant progress compared to only a few years ago. Models include the Toyota Auris 1.4D-4D Business Edition (92g), Volkswagen Passat saloon 1.6 TDI BlueMotion 120PS (95g), Audi A4 saloon 2.0 TDI ultra SE 150PS (99g), the MINI Hatch 1.5 One D 3-door (89g) and BMW 1 Series 116d ED Plus that also emits just 89g/km CO2.
Is petrol now quite economical and clean?
Petrol engines have also improved enormously in recent years, with many manufacturers 'down-sizing' and equipping their models with smaller capacity engines mated to a turbocharger, such as Audi shifting its feisty RS models from V8 to V6 power. A healthy range of petrol cars are available that emit under 100g/km CO2, such as the Audi A1 1.0 TFSI SE 95PS (97g), Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVT-I Active 5-door (99g) and the VW Up! 1.0 Take up! 60PS, which emits 96g/km of CO2.
When it comes to 'how low is low enough?', though, more and more drivers are seeking to own or lease cars offering even lower CO2 emissions, all the way down to zero. The Society of Manufacturers and Traders' figures for September 2017 reveal that alternatively-fuelled vehicles, which mainly means hybrid and electric cars, have surged by 34.6% compared to the previous year and now account for an extra 2% of the market share5.
Environmentally-minded customers are embracing conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and pure electric or 'zero emissions' (ZE) cars because they not only reduce their immediate everyday impact on the environment, but they also offer a smooth, relaxing and quiet driving experience.Across the brands we work with, Inchcape's customers have a wide range of ultra-low emissions vehicles (ULEV) to consider.
Audi currently manufacturers the A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid combining a 1.4 TFSI petrol engine with an electric motor, which can provide emissions-free all-electric motoring for up to 29 miles. It emits a mere 38g/km CO2 and fuel consumption is cited as upto 166.2mpg. The large Q7 SUV is also available in e-tron guise with a 3.0 TDI diesel engine working with a battery and electric motor to offer CO2 emissions as low as 48g/km and fuel economy of upto 156.9mpg.
BMW was the first to introduce an all-electric model to the premium compact market and its electric i3 is now better than ever, but the Bavarian firm's desirable model range also includes a variety of hybrid models under the iPerformance badge. Choose from the practical 2 Series MPV, 3, 5 and 7 Series saloons, X5 SUV and i8 supercar, all in plug-in hybrid guise.
Jaguar will be launching its much-anticipated all-electric debut in the second half of 2018 in the form of the amazing I-PACE, set to combine zero emissions with stunning performance. Electric power responds instantly, translating in the I-PACE's case to 400PS, a 0-60mph sprint time of around 4 seconds and instant torque of 700Nm.
Land Rover has recently unleashed a new PHEV version of its highly desirable Range Rover Sport model. With amazing credentials of 64g/km CO2 emissions and upto 101mpg, customers seeking the ultimate luxury SUV experience can now opt for the large Range Rover in plug-in hybrid form, too, with the same green figures almost contradicting its dimensions.
Lexus has long been synonymous with hybrid vehicles, remaining one of the leaders in the field. In fact, every single model in Lexus' lineup can be specified as a hybrid, from the IS and GS saloons and NX and RX SUVs through to its sleek RC and LC coupes.
Mercedes is another prestige car brand than offers a comprehensive selection of plug-in hybrid vehicles under the eMobility banner, spanning from its beautiful C-Class and E-Class saloons and estates through to the GLE SUV and S-Class luxury saloon.
MINI, part of the BMW Group, now sells the practical and stylish Countryman as a plug-in hybrid variant, combining uprated power with four-wheel drive capability when the weather or road surfaces become challenging. Its emissions go as low as 49g/km while combined fuel economy is published as upto 134mpg making it economical for green-minded families.
Toyota boasts over 10 million hybrid-driving customers worldwide, which is unsurprising as it was one of the first to pioneer such green technology. Toyota customers are offered hybrid power from the small and classy Yaris, practical Auris and eye-catching C-HR to the RAV4 SUV and the firm's iconic Prius, which leads Toyota's offering in the emissions stakes from a mere 70g/km CO2, with fuel economy as high as 94.1mpg.
The Volkswagen range of electric and hybrid vehicles is also growing at an impressive rate, the e-Golf and Golf GTE proving popular along with the new Passat saloon and estate also in GTE guise. VW's current emissions hero, though, is the e-Up!, which emits no CO2 at all.
For customers who desire to embrace cars with as low emissions as possible, plug-in hybrid and fully electric power are clearly the answers to explore and now is an exciting time with such a wide selection of such green vehicles available.


text:
Palácio de Belém
Monument & Heritage Check location
Once the palace of Kings, the Belém Palace is now National Monument and also the seat of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic, as well as the official residence of the President of the Republic.
This impressive building is steeped in history and immediately recognizable thanks to its distinctive pink colour and imposing black iron gates guarded by military sentries in traditional uniform. The main façade of the Palace is composed of five buildings dating from the second half of the 17th century. They were built at a time when the monarchy wanted to find a place to rest from the crowded confines of the city of Lisbon.
At this palace you can observe the formal ceremony of the Changing of the Guard, which takes place on the 3rd Sunday of every month at 11am. It's truly an impressive spectacle to watch as the Belem Palace guard march into place in their dazzling uniforms.
You'll know if the President of the Portuguese Republic is in the building, because a green flag with the national arms will be flying high.
Calçada da Ajuda 1349-022 Lisboa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Justin Bieber 3 piece set, necklace boyfriend, zipper pull versa back with i love justin bieber and a pin badge bieber fever. The are one inch buttons and the necklace is a flattened bottle cap on a 24 inch ball chain with epoxy drop over the image to protect.
This is a great party favor and even a gift for the Bieber lover.


Talking about the "big 3".
Menendez (D) stiffed his underage Dominican hookers.
the majority of all labeled atheist, are evolved theist.
Could it be the same reason I'm working, also?
so offering a different point of view is bad?
Yeah, it would be hard to write funnier comedy.
Oh so done in the classroom, how exciting.
They are actively recruiting kids.
He should have only done humans.
??????Ok, ok I'll leave you alone. Sorry!
Is that something you teach in your home?


A premium quality, lightweight, thin hooded down jacket in heather print fabric. Uses natural feathers. Features word prints on zipper.
Print A premium quality, lightweight, thin hooded down jacket in heather print fabric. Uses natural feathers. Features word prints on zipper.
Boys - 90/10 Heather Print Hooded Light Down Jacket Boys - 90/10 Heather Prin..


Anybody that's gone for a morning walk in the neighborhood has assuredly seen some egregious water wasting. Typically it's a sprinkler watering a driveway or sidewalk or an oversaturated strip of lawn oozing water down the curb. Regardless, it's not only a waste of water but it's also not helping the lawn either. A few simple steps can be done to reduce water waste while increasing the water going to your lawn.
Over-watering: This is the most common cause of water waste. Most lawns can get by on less water than you'd think. Even eliminating one day of watering a week can make a difference. Aerating your lawn twice a year also ensures that the water is getting to the roots properly.
Over-spray: Happens when sprinkler heads become turned or tilted and are watering pavement. These are easy to spot by simply watching your systems. Most sprinkler heads can be turned or rotated instantly to correct this. Judson Irrigation experts can assist with this as well.
Obstructions: Sprinklers hitting fences, trees or decks can be the result of improper installation or incorrect nozzle head. Installing a nozzle with a different reach, angle or spray pattern can alleviate this.
Leaks: Another common problem and one that can waste a considerable amount of water and drown your lawn. Leaks are the results of broken nozzles, water lines, or blocked valves. Leaks are best left to the experts at Judson Irrigation.
Design: Sometimes the design of the sprinkler system or landscaping can lead to water waste. Clustered nozzle locations and inappropriate nozzle types can contribute to overwatering and underwatering in certain locations. Additionally, narrow strips of lawn or turf under trees or on steep hills can contribute to waste. Judson Irrigation can review your system and lawn for inefficiencies in the design and landscaping.
Ready to stop watering your sidewalks and quit wasting water?


Each year the Melbourne chapter holds a commemoration ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance Melbourne on 19th of February – the day that Darwin was bombed and war came to Australia.
The ceremony is to honour those who served and those who died in the attacks on Australia during 1942 – 1945. Veterans, dignitaries, a military band, friends and local school children participate in a moving ceremony that aims to remind us all of the cost of preserving peace and democracy in Australia.


The water knot is a good knot to use in webbing and can be used for a variety of things.
Step 1: Create a small overhand as shown below.
Step 2: Follow the initial path you created in step 1.
Step 3: Pull the knot tight.


The contract division complements Poliform diverse profile. Implementing its technological know-how, as well as aesthetic and functional advantages of its furniture production, Poliform is able to create an exceptional versatility for its projects, from small or medium supply, to big residences, with a personalized solution for any single unit. At contract division, Poliform is able to adopt the new designs and finishes that are not yet present in the current production, based on the individual project.
Poliform contract becomes a full service operation for the client, where it's present at the each step of the project, including production, logistics, and management.
The company culture of Poliform contract includes in depth and up-to-date knowledge of all the international regulations and standards regarding supply and safety, to help the customer.


Boss B1616 drafting stool is designed with a contoured back and seat to help relieve back-strain. Adjustable armrests allow to match shoulder breadth for support and comfort. Available in multiple colors.
Boss B1616 drafting stool offers a contoured back and seat to help relieve back-strain. Adjustable armrests provide forearm support. Pneumatic gas lift provides instant height adjustment. Includes a 20" diameter adjustable chrome footring for extra support. Hooded double wheel casters help distribute weight over a broader surface and protects both casters and floors from wear.
This drafting stool is available in black, grey, blue, and burgundy tweed fabric upholstery. Optional glides can be used in place of casters. Also available with loop arms or without arms.
Raise or lower seat to allow feet to rest flat on the floor.
Cushions support and contour to the body.
Supports users up to 275 lbs.


text:
Our Programs	ecoalianza	2019-12-18T23:40:37+00:00
Alternative Livelihoods/Business Incubator
Sister Parks/Sister Cities
Eco-Alianza and UC Natural Reserve System Formal Partnership
Sustainable Fisheries and Resource Management
Mining Threat/Watershed Protection Campaign
Eco-Alianza de Loreto, A.C. believes the natural heritage of Baja California Sur and its surrounding waters are unique and must be preserved in a manner that provides for the well-being of its people. Our mission is to create healthy and vibrant communities by empowering civil society and government to protect and conserve our natural and cultural environment. We envision communities where active citizens believe their quality of life depends on the health and vitality of the environment and act accordingly.
We can achieve these ends through our formal partnerships between Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, Channel Islands National Park and the University of California Natural Reserve System. These partnerships will further conservation of coastal, marine and island habitats in the park, which are essential for creating sustainable communities.
Our strategy includes four interconnected, core programs:
• Alternative Livelihoods/Business Incubator
• Sister Parks/Sister Cities
• Sustainable Fisheries and Resource Management
• Mining Threat/Watershed Protection Campaign
Click on links above to learn more about our core programs and our partnership with UC Natural Reserve System.
Click here to download a PDF of
12 Years of Supporting Conservation.
(2MB)
A confluence of circumstances has created an ideal opportunity to advance an innovative and flexible approach to economic development and environmental management. Since well before the national marine park was established in 1996, it's been clear that the health of Loreto's marine environment is inextricably tied to the growth of eco-tourism and its conservation ethic, as well as to the management of the fishing and marine foods industry. Simple logic dictates that the less that Loreto families rely on fishing, the more possible a transition will be to a sustainable status for Loreto's fishery. Accordingly, the more fishing families can rely on alternate sources of income (even part-time), the better.
Amazing alternative tourism experiences abound here:
• Whale watching, birding, botany, fossil and geology walks
• Participating in or visiting monitoring/research projects
• Interpretive hiking, trail visits at the islands
• Archaeology interpretive visits
• Rural photography hiking trail visits
• Community life experience visits
• Artisanal workshops experiences at communities
• Differentiated gastronomic experiences
Tourist surveys indicate that additional marketing of experiential opportunities would have a high potential for success. Eco-Alianza plans to initiate an Alternative Livelihood Development Center on a site adjoining our Community Center for the Environment (CenCoMA). Working in coordination with the municipal tourism department, fishing cooperatives, the local university (UABCS Loreto), and several other partners, the Alternative Livelihood Development Center will work as an "Eco-Incubator" of new and ongoing ventures (Eco-Ventures). It will provide entrepreneurial training and expertise to support the generation of alternatives to traditional small-scale fishing.
Using training protocols built into our adapted model of intervention, we have already begun working with seven social entrepreneurship groups. Four of these groups are fishing cooperatives. With them, we are developing sustainable ecotourism alternatives based on their exclusive special exploitation rights for two marine species under special protection, the sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus) and the rock scallop (Spondylus calcifer). With another group, we are seeking to continue the Park's recently cancelled sea turtle monitoring program as an ecotourism experiential citizen science research project. With the last two groups, we are developing and testing new business models for added value and commercialization of the chocolate clam (Megapitaria squalida), and some other species from small-scale fisheries.
Our Executive President Hugo Quintero, through advanced course work at the Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, already has been trained to initiate the Eco-Ventures program aimed at sustainable economic development. The Alternative Livelihoods incubator project also will benefit from a follow-on intensive residential course, recently completed in Costa Rica, that will provide ongoing development advice, specific to our project, as well as mentoring by CSIS and UPenn staff.
The Anthony and Linda Kinninger Family Trust already has secured the site for the economic development facility, and site work is underway. Federal economic development funding for this project is a very real possibility, as well as support from the municipality. Anthony and Linda Kinninger are the donors of the property, as well as funding partners.
As part of the project, we are developing the Loreto.com website. The website will help market Loreto as an eco- tourism destination, and will encourage support for locally-based restaurants, hotels, businesses, guides, and other tourism services and programs that engender a conservation ethic.
The official electronic magazine will be : www.loreto.com
Sister Cities/Sister Parks/Sister Missions – Loreto, BCS and Ventura, California
Our Board members and our efforts have driven the young, but already successful, international "Sister City" relationship between Loreto and Ventura, California. The municipal governments "exchanged keys," and are now co-marketing mutually beneficial arrangements around tourism (eco-tourism and religious tourism), information exchanges, and experiential educational opportunities.
In late 2016, the presidents of the United States and México committed in Washington, D.C., to a formal "Sister Parks" agreement linking PNBL and the Channel Islands National Park (CINP) in Ventura, CA. The agreement was formalized with a signing in Hawaii at the quadrennial meeting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (signed by Alejandro del Mazo, Director, National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP), and Jonathan Jarvis, National Park Service Director, now retired).
The two national parks are strikingly similar. Each is adjacent to a tourism- dependent city and each is home to five ocean islands with incredibly diverse ecosystems that are relatively easy to access by boat. Both parks also are part of the Blue Whale's migration route.
CINP marine scientists have extensive experience with initiating and tracking success in "no-take" fishery replenishment zones, and Park Rangers and crews of volunteers have experience with enforcement of these initiatives. Park managers already have offered assistance to Loreto's marine park in assessing and implementing effective options. Formalization of the Sister Parks relationship makes PNBL's success part of the mission of CINP and gives its managers a green light to assist PNBL with human and physical resources on a limited basis.
Ventura's business incubator, administered by its city hall, will also serve as a model and as support for our own economic development initiative. The Mayor of Loreto and Eco-Alianza representatives have already visited the incubator space at the invitation of the Mayor of Ventura. Leaders in Ventura's Sister City Committee are also managers at the city's tourist visitor center and have offered counsel in establishing a small welcome center in Loreto.
The Father of Ventura's historic Mission Buenaventura has repeatedly visited Loreto as part of the Sister City committee, and spearheaded a motion to create a Sister Mission relationship.
"Recognized as the Head and Mother of all Missions in Alta and Baja California, the faithful parishioners of Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, founded in 1697 in Baja California Sur, and the faithful parishioners of Mission San Buenaventura, founded in 1782 in Alta California, have entered into a covenant and commit to support each other in prayer to: witness the Gospel, cultivate our religious heritage, provide temporal resources and encourage pilgrimage to all the missions in the Californias in fidelity to Holy Mother Church, the Holy Father, our respective bishops and dioceses as Sister Missions."
Unique to this relationship is the religious history of both missions, which is the foundation and very fabric of our mutual heritage that has sustained our communities for centuries.
This Sister Mission partnership may also support each other during natural disasters or other emergencies by raising funds or collecting needed-supplies. By sharing each other's cultures through sister relationships, communities can gain insight into the history, values and spirit that make up their sister mission, sister city, and sister national parks and reserves.
This "sisterhood" in all its manifestations will benefit Loreto and our other initiatives — from strengthening our marine park management to strengthening our social ventures incubator to helping establish a marine science program for Loreto's campus of the state university (UABCS), to fostering sustainable land use and water management approaches both here and in the U.S.A.
A five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in June, 2019 with the University of California, establishes Loreto as an official "Sister Reserve" and names Eco-Alianza as the Mexican entity empowered to shepherd potentially dozens of scientific research projects.This hallmark accomplishment will positively impact Eco-Alianza and Loreto's natural, cultural, and educational environment for decades to come, and signed MoU in itself is the realization of a years-long effort as the initiative made its way through the University of California administration.
"In January 1965, the Regents of the University of California established the Natural Land and Water Reserves System, as the Natural Reserve System was first known. Seven University-owned sites became the system's first Reserves. Today the UCNRS consists of 41 Reserves that include more than 750,000 acres across the state. The Reserves are available not only to students, teachers, and researchers from the University of California, but to qualified users in science, art, the humanities, teaching, and other disciplines. No other university-operated network of field sites in the world can match the size, scope, and ecological diversity of the NRS." (https://ucnrs.org/)
Several years ago, UCNRS leaders recognized that sites beyond the borders of California may also be useful, in fact critical, to help researchers from the University of California and elsewhere tie their scientific studies into a global context. The first international Sister Reserve arrangement, with Gobabeb Research and Training Centre in Namibia, was established in 2017. A number of exchanges between UC and this African desert reserve are already occurring, including a UC Riverside study-abroad course on ecology and herpetology, and research into desert reptile physiology and how much moisture fog contributes to desert plants.
The MoU signed with Eco-Alianza establishes Loreto and the Bay of Loreto National Park as the second international Sister Reserve of the UCNRS. This did not happen by accident. In fact, it is the outcome of hundreds of hours of meetings, dozens of communications back and forth, and several visits to Loreto by professors, researchers, and administrators from the University of California, and managers of its Natural Reserve System, including its executive director, Peggy Fiedler.
From Eco-Alianza's standpoint, partnering with the UCNRS holds the promise of urgently needed scientific research to provide data critical to conservation management of marine, insular, coastal, and inland environments. The research will help create an international focus on Loreto's natural wonders and its overwhelming conservation needs, and also will expose Loreto's youth to terrestrial and marine science and to working scientists.
Like many fishing communities on the Gulf of California, Loreto has relied for many generations on a seemingly limitless supply of seafood. Over the last few decades, however, fish stocks have dwindled and fish sizes have shrunk.
Historically, fishermen here have simply caught what the ocean has offered up, with little record keeping or selective harvesting. Fish, clams, sea turtles, and other marine products have historically sustained the small human population. But, as the local population has grown, fishing methods by local families have continued relatively unchanged, despite scientific advances in understanding the importance of breeding cycles, marine ecosystems, and other factors influencing sustainable harvests.
The new park management will use proven fisheries science to increase both biomass and diversity through an expanded network of fishery replenishment zones, while still allowing for sustainable harvests.
Eco-Alianza's Marine and Coastal Program Director has already been working with fishing cooperatives to encourage use of logbooks, which are beginning to provide baseline catch data. Analysis of data will ultimately result in a plan to manage the catch of stressed species, protect breeding cycles, and enforce no-take zones that the fishing cooperatives and other stakeholders have helped to establish.
The resources of the Park, and the incomes of local fishermen relying on traditional fishing methods, also have been stressed by outside forces. Large international fishing conglomerates have used extractive methods that are destructive to "bycatch" species and the sea floor, to sea turtles, and to the overall health of local ecosystems. Similarly, harvest of Loreto's iconic "almejas chocolatas" — chocolate clams (Megapitaria squalida) has been thrown out of balance through harvest by scuba divers using large suction hoses instead of traditional methods. The clam fishery has been closed intermittently due to overfishing.
As stated earlier, PNBL is 29 times the size of the park at Cabo Pulmo, so research and enforcement efforts are extremely challenging even in the best of times with sufficient financial resources. With its operating budget halved, PNBL's Director approached Eco-Alianza for donations for the maintenance of and fuel for the Park Rangers' boats. This support is now taking shape.
In addition to the efforts mentioned above, supporting conservation protection for endangered, endemic species on PNBL's islands is critical. The remote nature of Isla Catalina, for example, helps protect the Catalina deer mouse (Peromyscus slevini) and the Santa Catalina rattlesnake (Crotalus Catalinensis, "the rattlesnake that lost its rattle"). But illegal "collectors" for the pet trade have previously threatened the snake's populations and are surely heartened by lax enforcement. Both of these species are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Here again, management assistance by Channel Islands National Park could be extremely helpful as scientists and managers there also have vast experience protecting endemic island species.
In the near term, perhaps the greatest threat to Loreto's sustainable future is the prospect of a large-scale mining operation being sited here. Nearly 200,000 acres in the municipality are now under mining concession (although no exploitation permits have yet been applied for).
Specialized mining exploration companies from Australia and Canada have been aggregating mining concessions in the most promising areas. Azure Minerals reported to its shareholders that "Surface sampling was very successful for copper and gold. Stage 2 exploration, comprising detailed surface mapping and sampling, has recently been completed, with results awaited." We have developed separate documents that provide additional details.
Mining concessions, unfortunately, overlap and abut the San Juan Londo watershed, which provides nearly all of the drinking water for Loreto. If a mine were to be permitted, mining-related caustics leaching into the aquifer, or being flushed into the Park during a flooding event or failed holding pond dam, could be catastrophic. Mining operations could pollute the air, drinking water, watershed, view-shed, family-oriented social sector, and Park ecosystems.
Ec o-Alianza has monitored this potentially devastating threat for several years, and was instrumental in working with the municipal government to enact one of México's first POELs, a local ordinance that strictly limits mining activities in the municipality. The legislation was passed nearly unanimously, with minimal dissent.
Although it is not possible to outlaw mining (under Mexican Federal law), the 400- page ordinance is designed to make the establishment of a large-scale mining operation cost prohibitive if not impossible. This municipal ordinance is untested in court and the international mining companies involved are well funded. Accordingly, continued vigilance and preparation are called for. Although a legal challenge is not imminent, environmental attorneys from CEMDA and DAN think it is probable.
We are expanding our Loreto Watershed Campaign as part of an overall strategy to defend Loreto's ground water and aquifers, and protect the watershed basins against toxic economic activities, including mining. Scientists from both of our "sister" universities are available to update hydrology studies and provide well-researched scientific benchmarks that could serve to refute claims of "no impact" by any future mining industry environmental impact statements.
Our Watershed Protection Campaign has three core elements:
1. Prepare the municipal planning department to correctly interpret and enforce the Plan de Ordenamiento Ecológico Local (POEL) and the Urban Development Plan. The POEL is very specific, dividing the municipality into 94 environmental management units (UGAs) and 184 sub-units, with awide variety of regulations. The Urban Development Plan for the main development corridor of themunicipality includes additional, separate regulations. Our work will use GIS technology to prepare aguide for municipal employees to interpret the POEL when a mining company or developer appliesfor permits. Training workshops will prepare the planning department to assess permit applicationsand interpret the regulations appropriately. Additional workshops will be offered to developers andcompanies interested in proposing projects, encouraging them to strictly follow existing regulationswhen in the planning phase, before submitting plans.
2. Environmental attorneys from CEMDA and DAN have suggested a proactive legal approach toassist and prepare the citizens and the municipality of Loreto to defend the POEL and its intent incourt. We will recruit and engage a team of legal talent and expert witnesses to assess and completeall necessary background work — providing the municipality with a "turnkey" strategy to defendingthe POEL and its ramifications. The municipality's finances currently would not accommodate thisimportant, proactive legal preparation.
3. To counter industry-slanted, pro-mining propaganda, we will compile and prepare fact- and science-based assessments of the impact of mining projects on host communities. Our water conservation and water testing programs already support a well-informed citizenry, so this project will take our efforts a step further. It will encourage grassroots citizen action by Loretanos who support the POEL and watershed conservation.
Copies of supporting signed agreements available upon request at info@ecoalianzaloreto.org
A. Sister Park Agreement between Mexico and the U.S.
B. Letter of Support from the University of Baja California Sur
C. Agreement between CONANP and Eco-Alianza
D. Agreement between Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto and Eco-Alianza
E. MOU Between University of California and Eco-Alianza


text:
Christopher Paul Neil (né le  à New Westminster en Colombie-Britannique), initialement connu sous le pseudonyme de Vico, est un citoyen canadien arrêté au cours d'une enquête d'Interpol concernant des abus sexuels sur au moins douze jeunes garçons au Viêt Nam et au Cambodge. Il est le premier pédophile et pédéraste arrêté après un appel à témoin international d'Interpol.

L'affaire
Plus de deux cents photographies décrites par la police comme montrant un homme au visage brouillé abusant de jeunes enfants ont surgi sur Internet. Le visage de l'homme avait été brouillé numériquement par un tourbillon sur les photographies, mais les experts informatiques de l'office fédéral de police criminelle allemand ont été capables de reconstruire l'image d'origine, en utilisant des techniques qu'ils n'ont pas révélées, bien qu'apparemment peu complexes techniquement.

Interpol a lancé alors le 7 octobre 2007 l'opération Vico, un appel à témoins international, le premier du genre pour la recherche d'un pédophile, en postant sur son site Internet plusieurs des photographies du visage reconstitué du suspect. Cet appel a  mené plus de 350 personnes à contacter l'organisation, dont cinq qui ont identifié le suspect. Neil, citoyen canadien,  travaillait comme professeur d'anglais en Corée du Sud, qu'il a quittée pour la Thaïlande lorsque la photo de son visage a été diffusée. Interpol a alors diffusé une photo de lui prise par les caméras de l'aéroport de Bangkok. Il a été arrêté par la police thaïlandaise le 19 octobre 2007 à Nakhon Ratchasima, la troisième ville de Thaïlande, dans le nord-est du pays.

Jugé en mars puis en juin 2008 à Bangkok, il a été finalement condamné à trois ans et trois mois de prison et 60 000 baht () d'amende.

Une seconde sentence a été prononcée en novembre 2008, toujours en Thaïlande, le condamnant à six années de prison supplémentaires et 50 000 baht d'amende pour une autre affaire concernant des abus sexuels envers un enfant de neuf ans.

Extension des recherches à d'autres personnes
La police thaïlandaise a élargi cette chasse aux pédophiles potentiels en publiant les photographies de 50 suspects occidentaux identifiés par des autorités internationales. Beaucoup d'entre eux étaient citoyens allemands mais il y avait aussi des Britanniques, des Australiens, des Italiens, des Finlandais et des Américains. Le 6 mai 2008, Interpol a lancé l'Opération IDent, son deuxième appel public pour identifier un inconnu suspecté d'avoir agressé des enfants, il apparaissait sur près de 100 photos montrant une agression sexuelle sur au moins trois garçons âgés de six à dix ans. Contrairement à ce qui s'était passé dans le cas de Neil, on n'avait pas tenté, semble-t-il, d'obscurcir dans ces images le visage du criminel. Après que les autorités eurent reçu plus de 250 informations, un certain Wayne Nelson Corliss a été arrêté dans le New Jersey par des agents de l'immigration et des douanes américaines et accusé de production pédopornographique. Après qu'il eut avoué avoir violé trois garçons et s'être vu refuser la caution, il a été condamné en novembre 2009 à 19 ans et demi de prison.

Lien externe
   Avis de recherche sur le site d'Interpol

Sources

Affaire relative à la pédophilie au Canada
Personnalité canadienne condamnée pour abus sexuel sur mineur
Naissance en février 1975
Naissance à New Westminster

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Effective March 31, 2008, the initial point of contact for Bridgestream product support is through the Oracle Global Customer Support (GCS) systems and infrastructure and no longer through the Bridgestream support hotline or the support email address. Please discontinue using the Bridgestream support mechanisms.
Beginning December 1, 2007, you will no longer go through Bridgestream to renew your support contract. This process will be transitioned to Oracle Support Sales, with processing resuming in January 2008. However, you will continue to be supported—even if your support expires during this transitional period—as long as you have an active support contract or you received a Bridgestream support invoice prior to December 1, 2007.
If your support term has already expired as of December 1, 2007 and you have not been contacted regarding a renewal, an Oracle Support Sales Representative will contact you beginning in January 2008, otherwise our practice is to contact customers 90 days in advance of the expiration of the current support term to discuss the renewal.
Oracle will work with you to migrate your support contract to a standard Oracle support offering and a standard Oracle support contract. Please note that Oracle will not be renewing contracts for the Bridgestream support service and instead your support will be migrated to a standard Oracle Support offering. The Oracle contract will then govern the support services for the next term.
For more information about the Oracle Support Offerings, please go to https://www.oracle.com/support/.
Furthering our commitment to Bridgestream customers, Oracle is proud to announce defined support timeframes for Bridgestream products and releases and the application of the Lifetime Support Policy to a number of Bridgestream products and releases. Refer to the Lifetime Support brochure for specific release information.
Bridgestream customers and partners: Please use your existing contacts for professional services and sales.


Pwerle approaches the canvas with much more than the usual degree of confidence. Her lines are bold and sure, echoing those of her grandmother Minnie Pwerle, but with the assurance of a much more practised artist than her years or experience would suggest. The brushwork in her body designs, Awelye, has all the characteristics of this family dreaming, but Charmaine lends her own distinct creative flair, pattern and movement to the canvas.
Charmaine is definitely a family person: She lives in Mt Isa with her four daughters, son and large extended family. Her education has been varied to say the least, straddling the worlds of the remote outpost of Utopia (280 kms north east of Alice Springs) until she was seven years of age, and immediately following this, the urban environment of Adelaide, where she was sent to 'improve her education'.
At the age of 10 she returned to Utopia School for a further year, before attending St. Phillips College in Alice Springs. Alice Springs high school was next on the agenda, and after this she returned to Utopia for a few years before moving back to Adelaide again to study.
In 1992 Charmaine returned to Utopia and worked for Urapuntja Council as a junior administration assistant, while living with her mother Barbara Weir and grandparents Minnie Pwerle and Motorcar Jim at Soakge Bore – an outstation on what used to be Utopia Station. During the years she spent at Utopia, Charmaine's education extended to embrace her people's culture, performing in ceremonies, and learning the sacred stories passed on to her by her grandmothers.
Charmaine's early works were impressively executed and rich with culture and expression. In the years that have followed she has developed her obvious talent, and appears to be following in her mother's footsteps as one of the most sought after artists living and working today. Her exhibition history both nationally and internationally is growing exponentially, and her work is starting to be acquired by major institutions such as the NGV.
Minnie Pwerle, came from a region called Atnwengerrp at Utopia and it is this country that Charmaine depicts in her paintings.
Charmaine's main inspirations are the Atnwengerrp area and Awelye (women's ceremonies and body paint).
The lines in the painting depict the tracks that her people made as they trekked across the country in search of food and dry river beds. The large semi circular shapes represent the sandhills and valleys. The dark colour represents the path of a fire that has swept across the land.


text:
Business Tourism News
NZ government fails to fund NZICC
NZ's Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has announced that the Crown will not assist with funding SkyCity's NZICC.
An artist's impression of the Hobson St view of the approved NZICC design
New Zealand's Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has announced that the Crown will not assist with funding the construction of SkyCity's planned New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
Joyce said, "I have repeatedly stated since December that our least preferred option is for the Government to contribute funding for the project. I am pleased to confirm that will be the case."
SkyCity submitted a Preliminary Design for the NZICC in October 2014 for approval by the Crown. However the total construction cost exceeded those costs as set out in the NZICC Agreement.
"SkyCity will now work on a revised Preliminary Design in the coming weeks and will submit it on a date that will be agreed by both parties.
"The Government is pleased to be moving forward with this project which will create 800 permanent new jobs, an increase in GDP of $49 million, and an important public facility for Auckland," said Joyce.
NZ Government Backs Proposed Convention Centre
Video: NZICC Hotel
EEAA welcomes Government's $12m business events fund
VIC Government releases guidelines for Regional Events and Innovation Fund
NZ Estate Seeks MICE Infestation
Air NZ Increases Queenstown
nzicc


I love curly hair! Big, curly, wild, natural hair! As a photographer working with magazine editors and art directors for brands, I have noticed an upswing in casting models with afros and curls and I couldn't be happier about it. It represents a beauty esthetic based on being yourself, being natural, and being comfortable in your own skin, all things I think are so important in the message my photography puts out there. It isn't about being inclusive, but more about loving all the things that make us different and unique. I am over cookie-cutter beauty and I know most people feel the same way. The model above is Jazzy and she is the perfect example of a young teenager rocking her curls. Her hair frames her face and gorgeous eyes, and makes her stand out, which for a model is critical. Her hair is becoming part of her trademark and getting her noticed in the competitive modeling industry. And the best part? She doesn't want to look different or like anyone else. She wants to be Jazzy and show off her natural beauty in all it's glory. That's pretty amazing in a teenager who is bombarded with images of straight-haired models of all ethnicities, and her pride in being herself is so refreshing.
Natural hair shouldn't just be a trend, but a viable option for everyone who doesn't want to be a slave to chemical straighteners, flat irons or frequent blow outs. Consider the damage these chemical processes and appliances do to hair, not to mention how time consuming it can be. Often models with curly hair will arrive on set with their hair straight, lifeless, flat, and damaged. The hair stylist has to make the hair look amazing which often means adding in extensions. No one, from the hair stylist, to the model or to the client, is happy to spend time and money on making the model's hair look right for the shoot. When the above model, Tiffany arrived on set, makeup artist and hair stylist Colleen Stone of Blush and Beyond was happy to work with her beautiful, natural, healthy hair. How could we not love the wind blowing her hair, animating the curls? Tiffany looked confident and comfortable and knew exactly how to work her hair in front of the camera. She didn't fight the curls or try to tame them, but used them to show off her own special beauty.
I often work with little kids for catalogues and brands, and every time I get a child on set with curls, I smile. These kids just look like they are having more fun! They are being themselves, and they all look different and fresh. The really young kids haven't been influenced yet by hair trends or media, and they don't have any hang-ups about their hair. As they get a little bigger they start to be aware that women, and often times their moms, are straightening their own hair. It makes them think that there is something wrong with the way nature made them and that they need to conform to be accepted. The media has a lot to answer for in that regard and fortunately it appears that the advertising world is starting to accept that beautiful is beautiful, curly hair or straight. So if you have a little one with adorable, wild hair, let the curls free! Let the kids grow up without hang-ups about their hair. And if you are blessed with amazing curls yourself – lucky you!
This entry was posted in Beauty and tagged #curlpower, #loveyourcurls, afro, Allana wesley White, allana wesley white photography, beauty trends, Blushandbeyond.com, Colleen Stone, curly hair kids, curly hair models, curly hair trends, Dove Hair Care, hair trends, model trends, natural hair trends on February 3, 2015 by allanawesleywhite.
Get to know Colleen Stone, celebrity makeup artist of Blush and Beyond. I have worked with Colleen for many years and love her esthetic eye and her ability to give the models great-looking skin onto which she does her makeup magic.
I was a model myself for over 20 years and I wanted to stay in the industry. Make-up always interested me and it seemed like a natural transition.
What is the difference between working with celebrities versus models for fashion, etc.?
Usually with celebrities you need to keep in mind the look that they are known for, whereas with a model you use makeup to totally transform her.
What has been your favorite all-time assignment?
I don't think I really have an all-time favorite assignment, but when everyone on the team gets along and everything just comes together, the pictures turn out so much better. It's like magic and that gets everyone on the set excited. Although, I have been fortunate enough to have met people I otherwise woundn't have in this industry. I was very excited to have made up Venus Williams for Vogue Magazine with André Leon Tally as creative director on the set.
What is your "secret weapon" in your makeup kit?
I can't divulge all my secrets! Kidding aside, I think my secret weapon is the way I can make someone have perfect skin using a combination of the correct foundation and concealer. One of my favorite foundations is Makeup Forever HD.
What current beauty trend do you think everyone should skip?
I don't think there is a current beauty trend per se that everyone should skip, but I think it is important to keep in mind that the really edgy trends look great on the young and as you mature you should find the looks that works best for you, that enhances your features, while still keeping current with colors, for example. It is good to try not to get stuck in a rut using the exact same shades year in, year out, as makeup products do improve and using colors that worked for you 20 years ago might not be the same for you now.
To be camera-ready you need to make sure your foundation really disappears onto the skin, and that you face and neck and chest are the same color. Try your foundation on in natural light on your neck and if it blends right in you have found your shade. Don't forget a fine dusting of translucent powder, because photography enhances shine.
The makeup trend for fall is a more matte skin and lip. By this I don't mean a matte like in the 90's, as it still has the look of real skin. Think about not using the highlighter and giving the skin a light dusting of powder. It makes everything a bit more polished which looks great with the fall color palette. Also try a satin lipstick instead of a gloss, as it is more on-trend.
I recently started a beauty blog called Blush and Beyond! I am having a lot of fun with it, giving out makeup advice, etc. I am represented by Ford Artists for assignments. You can also connect with me on Pinterest @ blushandbeyond and Facebook @blushandbeyond. Follow me on twitter @blsuhadnbeyond too!
This entry was posted in Experts, Makeup Artists and tagged beauty blogger, blushandbeyond, celebrity makeup artist, Colleen Stone, Ford Artists, makeup artist on September 11, 2013 by allanawesleywhite.


This is no ordinary car. It is the one that Neil and Hillary chose to drive off into the sunset with after the reception. Though it is an old car, Neil's dad had been working on this project to restore the car for a really long time and it happened to be ready right before the couple's wedding. This car meant a lot to them and I certainly enjoyed photographing it.
What do you think of the photo of the day? What sentimental details are you incorporating in your wedding?


Directions to Bank of America 11800 Saradrienne Ln. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 11800 Saradrienne Ln. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 11800 Saradrienne Ln. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 9020 Bonita Beach Rd SE. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 9020 Bonita Beach Rd SE. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 9020 Bonita Beach Rd SE. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 24550 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 24550 S Tamiami Trl. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 24550 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 11120 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 11120 Tamiami Trl N. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 11120 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 5626 Tavilla Cir. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 5626 Tavilla Cir. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 5626 Tavilla Cir. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 899 Vanderbilt Beach Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 899 Vanderbilt Beach Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 899 Vanderbilt Beach Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 10840 Miromar Outlet Dr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 10840 Miromar Outlet Dr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 10840 Miromar Outlet Dr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 15245 Collier Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 15245 Collier Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 15245 Collier Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 10501 Fgcu Blvd S. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 10501 Fgcu Blvd S. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 10501 Fgcu Blvd S. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 2412 Pine Ridge Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 2412 Pine Ridge Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 2412 Pine Ridge Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 19017 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 19017 S Tamiami Trl. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 19017 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 4501 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 4501 Tamiami Trl N. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 4501 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 12965 Collier Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 12965 Collier Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 12965 Collier Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1901 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1901 Tamiami Trl N. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1901 Tamiami Trl N. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 5101 Golden Gate Pkwy. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 5101 Golden Gate Pkwy. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 5101 Golden Gate Pkwy. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 7305 Radio Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 7305 Radio Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 7305 Radio Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 796 5th Ave S. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 796 5th Ave S. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 796 5th Ave S. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 4898 Davis Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 4898 Davis Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 4898 Davis Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 13650 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 13650 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 13650 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 16020 San Carlos Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 16020 San Carlos Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 16020 San Carlos Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 13099 US Highway 41 SE. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 13099 US Highway 41 SE. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 13099 US Highway 41 SE. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 8681 Cypress Lake Dr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 8681 Cypress Lake Dr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 8681 Cypress Lake Dr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 4912 Tamiami Trl E. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 4912 Tamiami Trl E. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 4912 Tamiami Trl E. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 11215 Metro Pkwy. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 11215 Metro Pkwy. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 11215 Metro Pkwy. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1511 Matthew Dr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1511 Matthew Dr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1511 Matthew Dr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 8081 Dani Dr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 8081 Dani Dr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 8081 Dani Dr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 926 Cape Coral Pkwy E. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 926 Cape Coral Pkwy E. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 926 Cape Coral Pkwy E. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 2850 Winkler Ave. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 2850 Winkler Ave. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 2850 Winkler Ave. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 12639 Tamiami Trl E. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 12639 Tamiami Trl E. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 12639 Tamiami Trl E. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 2450 Periwinkle Way. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 2450 Periwinkle Way. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 2450 Periwinkle Way. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 407 Cape Coral Pkwy W. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 407 Cape Coral Pkwy W. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 407 Cape Coral Pkwy W. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 3209 Cleveland Ave. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 3209 Cleveland Ave. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 3209 Cleveland Ave. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1360 Homestead Rd N. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1360 Homestead Rd N. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1360 Homestead Rd N. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1707 Del Prado Blvd S. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1707 Del Prado Blvd S. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1707 Del Prado Blvd S. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1501 Lake Trafford Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1501 Lake Trafford Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1501 Lake Trafford Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 2536 Skyline Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 2536 Skyline Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 2536 Skyline Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 4301 Palm Beach Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 4301 Palm Beach Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 4301 Palm Beach Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 571 Pine Island Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 571 Pine Island Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 571 Pine Island Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 614 Bald Eagle Dr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 614 Bald Eagle Dr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 614 Bald Eagle Dr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 17966 N Tamiami Tr. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 17966 N Tamiami Tr. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 17966 N Tamiami Tr. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 100 Madrid Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 100 Madrid Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 100 Madrid Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 126 E Olympia Ave. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 126 E Olympia Ave. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 126 E Olympia Ave. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 21175 Olean Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 21175 Olean Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 21175 Olean Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 24051 Veterans Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 24051 Veterans Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 24051 Veterans Blvd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1930 Tamiami Trl. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1930 Tamiami Trl. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1930 Tamiami Trl. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1785 S McCall Rd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1785 S McCall Rd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1785 S McCall Rd. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 14299 Tamiami Trl. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 14299 Tamiami Trl. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 14299 Tamiami Trl. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1403 E Oak St. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1403 E Oak St. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1403 E Oak St. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 2180 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 2180 S Tamiami Trl. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 2180 S Tamiami Trl. This page opens in a new window.
Directions to Bank of America 1270 Jacaranda Blvd. This page opens in new window. | Services available Bank of America 1270 Jacaranda Blvd. | Schedule an appointment at Bank of America 1270 Jacaranda Blvd. This page opens in a new window.


When Janine allows Adam to talk her into visiting a casino to celebrate five years together, she never imagines that a night that starts with so much fun and flirting could end in such despair and debt. Adam doesn't just lose all the money they'd saved, he takes out credit they cannot afford to pay back.
They work extra hours and struggle for a month to save up enough for the first payment. Then, it appears, the casino manager has another way the struggling couple could make the interest payments.
Outraged, Janine immediately rejects the indecent proposal. But, despite the sleaziness of the suggestion, she's flattered someone would be prepared to consider giving up that sort of money just for...her, and the thought of allowing a complete stranger to use her body pushes buttons she didn't know she had.
And why does Adam seem so keen she should do it...?


Oh, this sweet boy! What a fun couple of months it's been. In keeping with my every three month photos at this point, these were all supposed to be from 21 months. But since it was right after we moved, and because I didn't really get one shoot in like I wanted, I decided to go ahead and combine these two months as the update. He's also changing so rapidly and there's so much fun stuff to share!
Favorite foods are fruit, cheese, applesauce & yogurt (and he alllllways asks for them ;) but he's pretty good about trying veggies (even if not always fully eating them) and enjoys a good variety of foods for lunch and dinner, so he's well-rounded which I'm grateful for!
He's really just such a joy to be around and so much fun. The toddler stage isn't always easy, as he is also learning to press boundaries and exert his opinion, and disobey. But I know that's part of it all, and having a two-way relationship is so rewarding even when you're training and teaching. He is going to be such a sweet big brother and we are so excited to see him step into that role this Fall!


text:
"Macbeth", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Coming to Solaire this September
TheaterFansManila.com March 27, 2019
L-R: Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream; photos c/o Shakespeare's Rose Theatre Company
Brought to you by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, Shakespeare's Rose Theatre Company makes its international debut in Manila direct from the UK.
Two of William Shakespeare's most popular plays – "Macbeth" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" – will be running at The Theatre at Solaire for nine shows only from September 17 to 22.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a comedy about criss-crossed love and feuding fairies, with clod-hopping amateur actors and a magical potion adding to the confusion and mayhem. It will be directed by Juliet Forster.
"Macbeth" is bloody, fast-paced, action-packed, and psychologically tense. Populated by witches, ghosts and haunting apparitions, it tells the story of over-reaching ambition, a toxic marriage, a kingdom in crisis and a man's encounter with his own darkest self. It will be directed by Damian Cruden, who also serves as the company's Artistic Director.
Macbeth; photos c/o Shakespeare's Rose Theatre Company
Both productions will be coming direct from the summer season at Blenheim Palace, performed by a British cast in their first international season.
Originator of the project and CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, James Cundall, said "As with all the productions we bring to Manila, we are thrilled to have yet another first for the country and an outstanding cast and creative team to deliver it. While Manila audiences will be seated in the comfort of Theatre at Solaire rather than an open-air scaffolding structure, the two productions will be innovative, immersive and fun, with the actors making some of their entrances and exits through the audience. We will have dramatic sword-fights, bubbling cauldrons, wayward fairies, comic love scenes, gruesome murders, grand poetry and no shortage of fake blood! I believe Shakespeare's Rose Theatre offers something for everyone, and will showcase heritage theatre at its best."
The show schedules are as follows:
Tuesday, 7:30pm Macbeth
Wednesday, 7:30pm A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday, 2:30pm A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday, 7:30pm Macbeth
Friday, 7:30pm A Midsummer Night's Dream
Saturday, 2:30pm Macbeth
Saturday, 7:30pm A Midsummer Night's Dream
Sunday 1:30pm A Midsummer Night's Dream
Sunday 6:30pm Macbeth
A Midsummer Night's Dream; photos c/o Shakespeare's Rose Theatre Company
Shakespeare's Rose Theatre made its first appearance in the historic city of York, UK, last year. Inspired by the famous London Rose Playhouse built in 1587, 12 years prior to The Globe, the 13-sided pop-up Elizabethan theatre was constructed from state-of-the-art scaffolding, corrugated iron and timber, and comprised three tiers of covered seating with an open courtyard for standing 'groundlings'.
Set in a bustling Elizabethan village, the theatre hosted vibrant productions of some of William Shakespeare's most popular plays, in the setting for which they were written.
In its debut season last year, Shakespeare's Rose Theatre garnered popular and critical acclaim, as well as awards for Best Cultural Experience and Best Attraction. Nearly 80,000 people enjoyed the Bard's work in this traditional setting. This year Shakespeare's Rose Theatre will return for a second season in York, while simultaneously a second theatre will make its debut at Blenheim Palace in Oxford UK.
Shakespeare's Rose Theatre is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions.
For more information on Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, you can visit www.shakespearesrosetheatre.com.
You can buy tickets HERE.
TheaterFansManila.com
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live coverage on theater events around the city. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your first look at the hottest shows in town.
Facebook Website
Previous 8 Traditional Theater Practices Around the World
Next "Macbeth" Film Starring Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand in the works
"Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", and More in Ballet Manila's 24th Season
"Madagascar: A Musical Adventure" Reveals Full Cast
"The Quest for the Adarna" Announces Complete Cast


Doug and Teresa always fantasized about someday running a small breakfast café. When asked which of them liked to cook, they replied that neither liked to cook and neither understood much about the food industry.
So what do you think will happen to their dream?
Sadly for Doug and Teresa, their dream of starting a business will remain just that—a dream.
Why? Because the gap between where they are now and what they need to learn to start a business is more than two degrees of separation.
Read Stay Within 2 Degrees of Separation When Starting a Business to find out how to identify a good business match for you.


text:
Apple Testing Retina Display for Next iPad with Samsung and LG
Oliver Haslam ∙ July 20, 2011
The rumor mill is in full swing these days, with claims that Apple will be launching an iPad 3 with a Retina Display.
The latest information comes from The Korea Times, who believe that Apple is currently testing screen technology from both LG and Samsung, with a 2048 x 1536 screen expected for the next iPad to come out of Cupertino…
"Apple's upcoming iPad 3 will feature an improved display to support quad extended graphics (QXGA), a display resolution of 2048 × 1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio to provide full high definition (HD) viewing experience. The imminent deals would assure that Samsung and LG continue to be the biggest providers of flat screens to Apple for the foreseeable future. Samsung and LG are two of the few LCD makers that are at ease with highly-advanced LCD screens."
9to5Mac adds that this isn't the first time a high-resolution iPad display has been discussed. Both IDG and Digitimes have suggested that the next iPad could come with a screen packing a huge number of pixels.
Of course, with The Korea Times citing "a source close to the talks," this rumor should obviously be taken with a grain of salt.
Both LG and Samsung currently use a technology called "low temperature polysilicon," which could meet the 280 pixels-per-inch required by Apple for a Retina Display screen.
Rumors abound that Apple will introduce an iPad HD later this year, sporting the same 2048 x 1536 resolution mentioned by the The Korea Times. Could the two rumors be one and the same, perhaps?
The iPad HD talk also includes new 'pro' apps, aimed at taking advantage of the increased screen real estate afforded by such a screen.
What would you like to see a 9.7 inch, 2048 x 1536 screen used for?
Tags iPad iPad 3 iPad HD LG Retina Display Rumors Samsung


text:
Home / Revolution / Technically Speaking: #ORLvNE
Technically Speaking: #ORLvNE
Welcome to another installment of "Technically Speaking," where our very own resident coach and former pro Rick Sewall takes a deeper look into the Revolution's latest performance.
Have any questions you'd like Rick to address? Feel free to ask away in the comments section below.
NESoccerToday: Orlando City had no qualms exploiting the Je-Vaughn Watson-Andrew Farrell partnership right off the bat, as evidenced by Julio Baptista's foray into the area inside of 14 seconds. What did you see on the foul that showed Watson and Farrell's unfamiliarity with each other?
Rick: Whoever cooked up this opening play should be proud. Taking advantage of Brek Shea's kicking ability, Julio Baptista's canny experience, and a possible lack of coordinated play between Rev center backs Andrew Farrell and Je-Vaughn Watson was a very smart idea. Not often in soccer does one see a goal result from a game-starting salvo.
Give Shea credit for an excellent long pass to Baptista, making defending difficult in any case. Also, give Baptista credit for being able to take full advantage of both the long pass and miscues by Andrew Farrell and Je-Vaughn Watson.
The miscues? First, Farrell got twisted up defending against Baptista, largely as a result of the extremely well-placed long ball. He ended up on the wrong side of Baptista just before Watson's penalty-drawing foul. More important was Watson's miscue. All he had to do, instead of double-teaming Baptista, was to back Farrell up by getting goalside of the attacker with the idea of just getting in his way. Instead, he somehow spun around him, ended up behind him (with Farrell), and chose to foul from behind.
Even though this was the first time Watson and Farrell played together as center backs, I wouldn't necessarily put Watson's choice to double-team Baptista down to unfamiliarity. Maybe it signaled a lack of communication or trust, but maybe it was just a bonehead defensive decision.
Despite the early PK, the Revs seemed to respond well, with that response coming in the form of Teal Bunbury's goal. But there were other opportunities in the second half to take the lead, only for the likes of Charlie Davies and Lee Nguyen, two players who certainly know how to finish, to flub their shots in the box. Do you think it's psychological, or did goalkeeper Joe Bendik simply read their shots well enough to stop them?
Rick: Bendik, by coming off his line with a lot of authority, did well to stop both Nguyen's 80th-minute shot and the one Davies got off in the 84th. In both cases, there was a lot of defensive pressure on the attacker, and Nguyen had a further disadvantage of shooting from a bad angle (the edge of the goal box, about three yards from the end line). Davies shot from near the 18-yard line, in front of the goal. Basically, the goalie did his job and stopped them both. No complaints from my end.
The one thing I would add is that ideally (and I do mean ideally – it would have been sensational if they pulled it off) I would have liked to see one or both of them have the poise to dribble around the keeper before shooting. "Boom Boom" Barbosa, a Brazilian who played for the Boston Astros in the 1970's, could do this better than anyone I've seen. He would have scored every time in those old MLS one-on-one shootout tiebreakers.
Orlando seemed to put the Revs on their heels late, with Bobby Shuttleworth making a couple of crucial saves. What was Orlando City doing tactically that made it so difficult for the Revs to keep them at bay in the waning stages?
Rick: The insertion of Kevin Molino and Cyle Larin into the offensive middle of the Orlando attack and the simple move of Kaka to the left wing led to the home team's overall control of the game for the last thirty minutes – despite three excellent Revs' chances in the latter part of the game. Kaka had Woodberry's number and the freedom to do nearly anything he wanted in this half hour. Molino and Larin had the skill to put the Revs' defense under a lot of pressure.
On the other hand, never discount the advantage the strong wind was handing Orlando. It helped the Revs control the play for much of the first half, but made it tough for them at the end of the second.
For the second straight week, we saw the Revs "turn off" while disputing a non-call and surrender a goal in the process. What can a coach do to make his players less prone to mental gaffes like the ones we've seen?
Rick: The first thing a coach can do is to stop challenging referee calls himself. In other words, he needs to lead by example. If he doesn't, his players will feel that they also have the right – even the obligation – to complain to the referee about questionable calls. This quickness to dispute is a sure distraction from the "business" of the game and can result in players "turning off" at critical moments to cry foul. Obviously, if a coach himself has the habit of giving the referees a hard time, as Heaps does, he will have a difficult time persuading his players not to do so – even if he knows they shouldn't.
For players to get involved with referee calls is losing attitude. First, it diverts their mental focus from the intricate web of the game, which merits their total concentration. But second, if some players are always playing hard and others are excuse-makers, this can lead to team dissension. If I were a forward watching my defense raise their hands indignantly in the air instead of running with their men after a handball, I'd be disgusted.
If a coach has what he considers serious and substantive complaints about a particular referee or about the level of refereeing in general, he should refrain from public antics and outbursts. These will inevitably upset and embarrass those in the refereeing community and can, therefore, be counterproductive, especially if the coach gets a reputation as a complainer. Instead, he should write a letter to the appropriate league officials, voicing his concerns very specifically and courteously.
As a coach, I have always tried to win referees to my side, never complaining about questionable calls, and always being very pleasant to them at the end of games, especially when we lost. I figured that, sooner or later, this forbearance might lead a ref to give my guys the benefit of the doubt on a game-deciding call.
There are other teams in the league with as much or more talent than the Revs, so getting all their ducks in a row will be an important element in preparing them to compete for the MLS championship. These ducks include good sportsmanship, relentless focus on the game, and a civil posture toward the MLS refereeing community.
The biggest coaching no-no? Never blame a ref for a loss. The fact is, you're the ones who didn't win the game. Blaming the ref (or any other field condition) is sour grapes.
What stood out the most to you about Sunday's game?
Rick: The wind had a big effect on the game, greatly helping whichever team had it at its back. There's guesswork involved in coaching against it. I remember once playing a game on the Rhode Island seacoast during a very strong wind, when the home team (not us) won the toss and opted to go against the wind for the first half, saving the advantage for the second, when they expected to be tired. We scored a couple of goals early and ended up winning easily when the wind completely abated during halftime.
The end of the Revs' game was disturbing to me. Clearly, the fans were out of line when they threw cans at Rev players, but coaches and players on both teams should realize that they will reap what they sow. If they lose their cool and misbehave – as they did (and very unprofessionally) – they incite the fans to follow suit and behave poorly also. It's lucky no one got hurt.
Overall, a sorry ending to a pretty good game.
featureOrlando CityRevolutionticker
← Previous Story Five Things We Learned: #ORLvNE
Next Story → #NERevs96: The First Win


If there's one thing which cryptocurrency isn't, its boring.
Scarcely a week goes by without cryptocurrency being mentioned on several or more expat-aimed websites, with specific reference to its use by wandering tech specialists, digital nomads and freelancers across the planet. This would suggest conventional means of payment as well as investment are being shunned by a new wave of tech-savvy expats living their lives all over the world and travelling when it suites them – a lifestyle it's almost impossible to achieve using conventional banking facilities.
A new survey has reported freelancers including expats are the largest group of cryptocurrency users, with 38 per cent confirming regular usage, but 41 percent were non-users and an amazing 24 per cent had never heard of the alternative currency. Advantages for freelancers are obvious, and include facilities for international payments, low commission on money movements and no middlemen taking their cut of freelance earnings. However, financial professional opinions vary on the currency, with some believing it will outperform equities during the next 10 years and others believing it's a fad and will crash.
Over the past decade, the infamous bitcoin and other cryptos have outperformed other more traditional assets, have beaten the S&P 500 and are believed to be continuing their attack on conventional financial norms. The obvious downside is their undisputed link to suspected money laundering, with some 6,000 cases reported during the first 10 months of last year, an 800 per cent increase on 2017's total. However, the numbers make up just two per cent of the total of over 300,000 suspected financial abuse and money-laundering cases being investigated by police during the same period.
One well-known cryptocurrency fund manager is putting his money where his mouth is by betting a cool million dollars on his company's crypto fund, saying it will give higher returns over the next decade than Standard and Poor's 500 equities index. There's no-one taking on the other side of the argument by betting against him as yet but, according to experts, it'll be someone who thinks cryptos are worthless at worst or overvalued at best.
Either way, given the hoops expats and freelancers have to jump though to even transfer money between home country and international banks as well as the usurious charges and over-complicated regulations which must be obeyed, cryptocurrencies are likely to become de facto for the travelling expatriate community worldwide, thus saving money and making life less complicated for an entire generation of mobile expatriates.


I took this shot towards the end of my first planned modeling session. The "studio" was my family farm which netted me quite a large outdoor playground. However I was also battling the elements as this was taken in early spring in Wisconsin.
Our springtime here can sometimes be an extended winter before summer returns. The weather was a little chilly but the sun was shining, the snows had melted, and the breezes were light. Overall the day had some pleasant weather until the end. As we were making our way back from one of the vacant fields, I noticed a storm rolling in fast. Dark clouds were already billowing on the horizon and the wind had began to pick up. I had at best a good half hour before we were covered in rain or snow… or both because, you know, Wisconsin.
The inspiration behind this shot came from a photo of actress Tilda Swinton I once saw that struck me. We were running out of both light and time so my model and I made the best of a bad situation and lined up in front of my families old barn. I really wasn't all that excited about the choice of background at the time, but with the heavens ready to be unleashed on your model and gear, you take what you can get. Armed with my trusty Helios 44-2 and Kodak Portra 400, I fired off my shot. Nailed it.


text:
Treasury Excellence Awards
Technology Innovation Award
Tao Zhu Gong Awards
陶朱奖
Treasury Network
Treasury at the receiving end of M&A and restructuring
by Graham Buck
Published:	2 October 2018
Whether companies grow by acquisition or shrink by making divestments, treasurers are at the centre of the process. Graham Buck reports.
A challenge faced by a growing number of treasury departments is taking on the consequences of a major acquisition, divestiture or corporate restructure. Speaking at the International Treasury Management conference in Geneva, treasurers from Yanfeng Global Interior Systems and Kuoni Group provided contrasting perspectives.
Edwin Veenman, Yanfeng
Yanfeng Global Interior Systems (YFAI) is one company resulting from the M&A boom of recent years. The world's largest auto interiors designer and producer, with annual revenues in excess of $8.8 billion, Yanfeng has been a joint venture since 2015, 70%-Chinese owned and 30%-US owned, following a deal between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp subsidiary Yanfeng Trim and Adient (formerly Johnson Controls).
According to Edwin Veenman, Yanfeng's head of treasury, despite his company's name change three years ago resulting from the deal, much work was devoted to comforting suppliers and banks that the business itself was the same, however now with a global footprint, as when it was Johnson Controls in EMEA and North America, enabling Yanfeng to retain the same banking and cash pooling structures going forward.
For companies undergoing such transformations, know-your-bank (KYB) is as essential as KYC for treasury departments, Veenman said. "You could and should expect more from your banks, so leverage your relationships," he urged his audience. "Your bank needs to fully understand your business model and business strategy."
This understanding includes appreciating that many businesses could be prone to cyclicality, so that banking support is maintained in a potential downturn and recognising industry trends – such as whether a product/service is mainstream or niche.
Veenman traced the development of corporate-bank relationships, noting that the drying up of market liquidity a decade ago saw many companies reassess their banking structure, with a move towards more of a partnership than a supplier relationship. Corporates should be selective, identifying those banking partners best able to bundle together products and services best suited to the needs of the business.
Among recent developments that Veenman welcomes are Germany's Bitbond, a global lending platform utilising blockchain technology to connect investors with smaller businesses, the recent collaboration by HSBC and ING on the first live trade finance transaction conducted via blockchain at a cost saving of 40% and the just-announced CHF 100 million funding for the launch of Seba, the first regulated cryptocurrency bank that will be based in Zug.
Asked if Chinese banks are set to become more global, he noted that many already have an international presence. However, the fact that China is a currency-controlled country acts as a restraint. "When the yuan (CNY) is a more internationally-used currency that will certainly assist their further expansion," he predicted.
One becomes three
By contrast with Yanfeng, Switzerland's Kuoni Group offers an example of a company heading in the opposite direction. Founded in 1906, the Zurich-based group was a giant of the tourism and travel sector. As recently as 2014 Kuoni reported annual turnover of CHF 5.5 billion but has steadily decreased in size.
Sven Goeggel, E&Y
Kuoni first sold its European tour operator businesses to DER Touristik, reducing 2015 turnover to CHF 3.3 billion and in April 2016 was the subject of a takeover by Swedish private equity fund EQT. The group restructured into three stand-alone companies: B2B accommodation services (GTA); destination services/incoming (GTS); and visa services (VFS). However, EQT has subsequently disposed of two of these three divisions and retained only VFS.
Annemarie Decking, former head of group treasury at Kuoni, joined the group aware that it was to be acquired by EQT and to oversee the restructure into three separate divisions, each with its own treasury department. This involved the respective unbundling of Kuoni's legal, financial, organisational and financial operations.
She described the action plan in a joint presentation with Sven Goeggel, senior manager, treasury advisory for Ernst & Young, the consulting firm chosen to assist with supporting the treasury separation.
"Treasury is among the most critical processes when an M&A or major restructuring occurs, but too often treasurers aren't involved early enough in the process," said Goeggel. "Kuoni was prepared, but it was still a challenging project."
Goeggel said that an initial meeting established the critical aspects of the three separated businesses that had to be up and running from Day One, of which FX risk was judged to be the top priority. Other major tasks included ensuring that IT could continue to handle cash management and risk management activities, existing bank relationships had to either be adapted or new ones formed, and that funding was available for each of the three businesses.
For Decking, there were six key challenges involved in the transition. These included the same tasks that E&Y identified. In particular, the treatment of legacy FX trades, such as identifying separate FX exposures and moving them to corresponding participants via novating trades.
Then there was bank account and cash pool set-ups, where Decking outlined the challenge of separating existing cash pools and setting up new ones. Next came communicating with business partners: These included banks and service providers, to manage expectations and avoid misunderstandings. Echoing Goeggel, she said that IT was a another major challenge: Here the aim was to copy the existing IT environment as closely as possible into three similar, but separate environments
As a Kuoni manager at the time, Decking also had responsibility for resources and staffing. In particular, not all the treasury team were comfortable with the change and some left the group. Her final lesson was the need to stay focused: Ensuring readiness for business as usual for the first day after the transition was essential, she said.
Related: Treasurers prepare for global disruption, new risks
Related: EuroFinance Awards: A vision for change
Related: EuroFinance Awards: A catalyst for change
Our EuroFinance.com
Copyright © 2020 EuroFinance.