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Valley Communications, Inc.
Security Management Systems
Audio/Visual Systems
Case Study: ArchNexus
Check out this case study of the ArchNexus project we worked on (click to download)!
Read More Download PDF
Comstock's Magazine
Our latest advertisement in Comstock's Magazine:
Meet Our New Fleet
We are proud to announce that we have joined IBEW Local 340.
Turner Construction Charity Golf Tournament
Ken Hurst and Jeff Frydenlund representing Valley at the annual Turner Construction Charity Golf Tournament:
Golden 1 Center: Building Partnerships
Fluke Networks DSX-5000
As part of our philosophy of continuous improvement, we upgraded all of our testing equipment to the Fluke Networks DSX-5000: The DSX CableAnalyzer Series copper cable certifiers enables testing...
Stadium Tech Report: Golden 1 Center
Click the cover to download:
Kings Reveal New Technologies at Golden 1 Center
"We are very excited for the opportunity to be a part of making this the most technologically advanced venue in the nation by bringing all technologies together through design...
Viewpoint Construction Management Software
After thoroughly vetting many construction management software suites, we ultimately selected Vista by Viewpoint. Vista is the industry-leading solution that provides timely reporting of critical data for financials and...
Nevada Division Name Change
Sacramento, CA – March 27, 2014 – After 28 years in Reno, Communications Installation Services, Inc. (CIS) was acquired by Valley Communications, Inc. on May 1, 2013. Now, almost...
Shriners Hospitals for Children Gets First Edition of Chad's World
Newcastle, CA – January 10, 2014 – Authors Ahrynn and Josh McCann, a dynamic sister/brother duo, delivered 200 books to Shriners Hospitals for Children. "Books in actual print form...
Valley Communications, Inc, Unveils New Corporate Website
Sacramento, CA – September 6, 2013 – Valley Communications, Inc. (VCI), a leading provider of integrated technology solutions, today announced the launch of their new website. The redesigned site,...
Valley Communications, Inc.: Standing Out in the Tech Crowd
By Emma Bouthillette Valley Communications Inc. (VCI) was founded during an era of typewriters, back when cable television was a luxury and cellphones went by the nickname "the brick."...
Acquisition of Reno's CIS Brings Relationship Full Circle
By Rob Sabo A relationship that began in 1979 has come full circle for Ken Hurst. Hurst, president of Valley Communications Incorporated of Sacramento, last month completed purchase of...
Valley Communications, Inc. to Acquire Communications Installation Services, Inc.
Sacramento, CA – May 1, 2013 – Valley Communications, Inc. (VCI), a market leading provider of integrated technology services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Communications Installation Services,...
Valley Communications Incorporated: Wired to the Max
Produced by Matt Duncan & Written by Eric Gundberg As our world grows interconnected, the means that connect us are get increasingly more complicated. Thankfully, companies such as Valley...
Dedicated to providing the highest levels of quality, integrity and expertise in the design,
installation and service of voice, data, security and video networks.
Valley Communications, Inc. | 6921 Roseville Road, Sacramento, CA 95842
916-349-7300 | 916-349-7329 fax |
| LIC# 806644
© Copyright 2020 Valley Communications, Inc. All rights Reserved.


What's its like to kill someone?
says the disturbed man - Jim played by Christian Bale, the next two hours of your will be highly uncomfortable with this great actor.
Critics don't like his accent, can't differentiate with R's with S's, but surely he makes you understand the man inside him. A highly stressed man, who has just returned from the Gulf War and the last psychotic seizure while they are driving down from Mexico dominates "Harsh Times. I was so scared from that ride, you would surely want it to end right away, well, the film ends after 10 min. A predictable end but it is not the end which is important. How Ayer spinned the whole issue and showed you the disintegration of two characters within the space of 2 hours is what is worth seeing in the film.
The streets are filled with violence, drugs and prostitute, reminds me of "Taxi Driver", but here is a man, who feels killing is nothing. He is not a colorful anti-hero; he's a frightening one. Those who demand a connection between the audience and a film's main character will not relate to what Harsh Times has to offer. Here is a difficult character to understand.
The Job hunt by Bale and the other promising actor Freddy Rodriguez playing Mike gives you this uncanny feel of just roaming around the city can be dangerous. You sometimes just can shut the world around you, in the beginning it seems that these two characters are out there to change his world, a city they call their own.
Mexico looks like this abode of peace where you get drugs and booze but with no trouble attached. As soon as they head back for the city, the uncomfortable phase sets in.
Ayer here is talking in two languages. Difficult to understand, but if you like "Taxi Driver", there is a less chance you will not like this film.
Camera (Deluxe color, Super 16/35mm/DV-to-35mm), Steve Mason; editor, Conrad Buff; music, Graeme Revell; music supervisor, John Houlihan; production designer, Devorah Herbert; art director, Morgan Blackledge; set decorator, Ann Cummings; costume designer, Michele Michel; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Lori Dovi; supervising sound editor, Piero Mura; line producer, Michael Crawford; associate producers, Paul Barreras, Roberta Gorski; assistant director, Arturo Guzman; second unit camera, Christopher C. Pearson; casting, Mary Vernieu, Shalimar Reodica. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentation), Sept. 11, 2005. Running time: 120 MIN.
Jim Davis (Christian Bale) goes away to participate in the Gulf War. He's back in South Central L.A., looking for a job. He has a pal named Mike (Freddy Rodriguez), and his Mexican girlfriend, Marta (Tammy Trull).Jim and Mike go out for a drive, ostensibly looking for jobs. This is a source of concern for Mike's live-in lover, Sylvia (Eva Longoria). She wants Mike to find employment but doesn't trust Jim. When Jim's application to become an L.A. police officer is rejected after he fails his psychological profile, he spends the day hanging out with Mike, drinking, doing drugs, and committing petty crimes to get a few dollars. Eventually, the Department of Homeland Security shows interest in Jim but Mike is no closer to getting a job and he is becoming more enmeshed in Jim's self-destructive web.


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Home/Blog/Business Rates/Business rates loophole on second homes closing
Business rates loophole on second homes closing
February 11, 2022 Business RatesLeave a commentadmin
Owners of holiday lets and second homes in England have been able to avoid council tax by registering their properties as businesses. However, from April 2023, small business rates relief will only be available if a property is let out for a minimum of 70 days a year. If you let out a second home, you may want to start planning now.
In the vast majority of cases, registering a property as a business has meant that small business rates relief is available, meaning no business rates are payable. Business registration has been possible for properties available to let for 140 days or more in a year, even if little or no realistic effort is made to attract lettings.
Changes from 1 April 2023
To benefit from business rates after next April, owners will have to:
Prove that a property is available as self-catering accommodation for 140 days a year, with this test met for the coming year and also the previous year; and
Actually rent out the property as self-catering accommodation for a minimum of 70 days a year.
It will be necessary for property owners to provide evidence, such as the website or brochure used to advertise the property, letting details and receipts.
Wales already applies similar criteria, with Scotland making changes from April 2022.
For the purpose of accounting for those 70 days, both council and business rates look at the property's status at the end of a day. For example, if a property is let from Friday evening to Sunday morning, it is treated as let for two days using the occupancy for the Friday and Saturday nights.
New lets
There are no special rules being introduced for newly available lets, so a new let will be liable to council tax until the property has been available for 140 days and actually rented out for 70 days. Business rates will not be available until both criteria are met, subject to the property being advertised as self-catering accommodation for 140 days in the coming year.
The government's press release on closing the tax loophole on second homes can be found here.
Photo by Grant Durr on Unsplash
What Now, Autumn Budget?
The Spring 2021 Budget – still some surprises
Business rates revaluation in 2023
Positive news for business rates from the Chancellor
Business rates review back on the table
New Covid-19 business support package
Focus on tax year-end planning
The patchwork effect of rising inflation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The SATOR charm is an easy charm that can be used to protect from negative influences.
To create the SATOR charm you will need a sheet of white paper at least 8″x8″ square, Dragon's Blood Ink, a red pencil, rosemary essential oil and the tools for casting a circle.
The SATOR charm is an easy charm that may be used to protect from negative influences. It's formed from five words of five letters each. It is a two dimensional palindrome, read the same backwards and forward, top to bottom or bottom to top. The five words are in Latin, or thought to be, and was initially found at the ruins of Pompeii. The five words are interpreted as: SATOR: (from serere=to sow) Sower, planter; founder, progenitor (usually divine); originator AREPO: Unknown, probably a proper name, either devised or, possibly, of Egyptian origin TENET: (from tenere=to hold) holds, keeps; Understand; owns; masters; preserves OPERA: (noun) work, maintenance; aid, service, effort/trouble; (from opus): works, deeds. ROTAS: (accusative plural of rota) wheels One likely translation is The farmer Arepo has [as] works wheels [a plough]; that is, the farmer uses his plough because his form of work. It may be read the same forward and backward in Latin. To make the SATOR charm you will need a sheet of white paper at least 8×8 square, Dragons Blood Ink, a red pencil, rosemary essential oil and the tools for casting a circle. Cast your circle. Once It's throw, choose the blank piece of paper, the Dragons Blood Ink and your pencil, and draw the following words in a square: SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS Anoint the edges of the paper together with the rosemary essential oil. State something to the effect of I bill this charm of SATOR for the purpose of security and magical defense. Then, raise or draw energy down into the charm. Continue to direct energy into it until you can see it start to quiver in your perception. When completed, give the indication of Silence to seal the energy into the charm. Then close the ring as normal. Once done, you must hang the charm above your front door. If you would like extra security you can charge several and hang them above all the windows and doors in your home.


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© 2019 by Blue Fire Strategies
Paid for by Dan Quick for Legislature, 1019 Kennedy Dr, Grand Island NE 68803
AS A SENATOR
DAN QUICK:
A STRONG VOICE FOR WORKING FAMILIES
Raised on his family farm outside of Hordville, Nebraska, Dan started his journey from humble beginnings. His father, Dale, was a military veteran, worked construction, and then purchased a farm on which he raised pork, beef, and grain. His mother, Sharlyn worked with Dale on the farm and worked at Hordville and later High Plains Public Schools. Dan was raised with his four other siblings, and even though his parents were at times under pressure to make ends meet, he and his siblings felt like they were raised the same as any other family. After Dan graduated from Hordville High School in 1976, he set out to join the workforce.
Throughout Dan's life, he has worked at a grain elevator, in retail, construction, feedlot operations, and sand and gravel ready mix operations. Before being elected, he worked 28 years for the Grand Island Utilities Department at the Platte Generating Station. He first started as a material handler and later became a maintenance mechanic and welder. Dan has served as the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1597, as well as President of the Nebraska State Utilities Conference and Central Nebraska Central Labor Council.
Dan and his wife Alice were married in 1980 and chose to make Grand Island their home. Together they raised three children and now have 9 grandchildren. Both are members of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, where Dan serves as a eucharistic minister and Alice as a lector.
A SENATOR WHO
WORKS FOR YOU
With first-hand knowledge of the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck, Dan has worked countless hours to fight for his own family. Now Dan works for yours. In his first term, he put future generations first by providing communities with economic development tools to increase access to early childhood education and made it harder for children to obtain tobacco and vaping products. When it came to family safety, he championed legislation to keep neighborhoods safe by cleaning up abandoned and vacant properties, and redevelop the properties into affordable housing. Dan also passed legislation to protect victims of human trafficking and has led efforts to update building electrical codes to keep residents safe. Dan has been a strong advocate for working families
WORKING FAMILY PRIORITIES
Dan Quick's priorities for a second-term are values that all Nebraskans share:
strong schools, jobs that pay well, and a more fair tax system to help working families.
Dan knows that the most important part of a community is having more good-paying jobs to support its residents. That's why he is committed to working with local and regional leaders on economic development projects that create new jobs.
It's important for our state to compete to attract new businesses, and Dan has worked to ensure these incentives include good-paying jobs with benefits. Dan has also worked closely with entrepreneurs in Grand Island to navigate bureaucratic systems to help start new businesses that want to grow in Nebraska.
To attract the needed workforce, Dan knows we must also make sure our workforce is properly trained and that we have suitable housing options for the workers.
At the forefront of safety, Dan has fought tirelessly to give cities new tools to clean up abandoned and vacant properties. By renovating these neighborhoods, we are able to attract new affordable housing projects, and put properties back on the tax rolls. This allows our cities to keep your property taxes low.
Dan led efforts to pass legislation to combat human trafficking and works with local, state, and regional partners to collaborate plans and strategies to make the community safer.
Dan has also been a strong supporter of firefighters and police officers in our community. He supports adequate staffing levels of first responders. This adds more safety for first responders and means quicker response time for citizens, which can save lives.
Dan knows that quality education for our kids helps provide them with more opportunities for success. Nebraska must focus on early childhood education to give every child, regardless of financial status, a chance to be successful. That's why Dan passed legislation giving cities more flexibility to prioritize helping early childhood education centers. Dan also knows we need to ensure that no matter what path a kid wants to follow, whether that be a 4-year university or skilled labor training, that our education system allows them to succeed in whatever field they choose.
With Nebraska ranking 49th in state aid of public schools, our local taxpayers feel the brunt of it. Dan will continue to fight for Grand Island to receive more state aid to reduce local property taxes so that we keep the quality of education that our children and grandchildren deserve, while also addressing the local tax burden.
Knowing the struggle working families face to pay their taxes firsthand, Dan works every day to make sure that every family is being treated fairly. Our current system is not fair to working families. Dan has vigorously fought for property tax relief that doesn't come in the form of raising other taxes that hurt working families the hardest.
The best way to lower our property taxes is to fund schools at the state level. Nebraska ranks 48th in state aid to public schools. We can and must do better at funding our schools from the state level.
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Home Entertainment Sunmi, Jessi And Ed Sheeran Announce Surprise Musical Collaboration
Sunmi, Jessi And Ed Sheeran Announce Surprise Musical Collaboration
Matthew Cage
The world of music knows no limits and very soon we will hear from Sunmi and Jessi with Ed Sheeran. Collaborations in the world of K-Pop are always exciting, this time we will hear a talented idol, an iconic K-Hip Hop rapper both will sing along with Ed Sheeran, can you imagine?
Recently, the Warner Music Korea social networks excited everyone by announcing that these three great artists would join forces within a melody, showing that their talents complement each other perfectly.
Recently, Ed Sheeran released his fifth album that bears the name of '=', within which we find melodies like Bad Habits, however the British singer still has several surprises prepared for this record material and we will soon hear him together with two famous singers Korean.
SUNMI AND JESSI SING WITH ED SHEERAN AT SHIVERS
Another of the tracks that is part of '=' is Shivers, however now some remixes of the melody will be released and one of them will be the collaboration with Jessi and Sunmi.
The three artists appear reunited in an image published by Warner, but in addition to announcing the meeting, an audio fragment for this remix was also presented that moved many K-Pop and K-HipHop fans.
Here you can listen to it:
[COMING SOON]
Ed Sheeran 'Shivers' by Jessi and SUNMI
2021.11.24 6PM (KST)#SUNMI #선미 #Jessi #제시#EdSheeran #에드시런 #Shivers #Equals pic.twitter.com/LdsrJYiW6Y
— 선미 SUNMI (@official_sunmi_) November 19, 2021
ED SHEERAN IN THE MAMA 2021
The interpreter of Photograph will be the international guest star for the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards, this year the face-to-face concert will return and although the audience will not be as numerous as on previous occasions, the emotion has already been present.
After the announcement of the collaboration with Sunmi and Jessi, the chances of listening to this new version of the track increased, because for now the details of Ed Sheeran's presentation in the show have not been revealed in depth.
If you don't want to miss the MAMA 2021, we will tell you when, where and how you will be able to see them, as well as who are the nominees to win an award.
Details of Onew's First Solo Concert From SHINee "O-NEW-NOTE" Have Been Announced: Date, Place and Much More!
Rene Rapp: "My music is about shitty things that have happened to me"
Eric Nam Will Release a New Version of His Album "There and Back" to Celebrate a Decade in Music
Stormzy Will Perform at the BRIT Awards 2023
aespa's Fictional Artificial Intelligence System Nævis Debuts As an "Artist" at a VR Concert at SXSW
Is Macron a K pop Fan? The President Photographs BLACKPINK
Alex from DRIPPIN Suspended His Activities Due to Health Problems
Scooter Braun Becomes Sole CEO of HYBE America
"Classic" — Fans "Shoot Out of The Stomach" When a Video Surfaced of Kanye West Speaking Out Against George Bush During a Cyclone That Took Over The Internet
Jamojaya Review: Rapper Rich Bryan Overcomes the Dangers of a Pop Star
Stray Kids, Alesso and CORSAK to launch their collaboration "Going Dumb"
Grey's Anatomy: Fotos de la celebración del episodio número 400 del...


The Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center, the community development division of Pathfinder Services, was recently honored with an award from FAHE, the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, who offers affordable, low interest loans. Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center was honored as the top producing partner for packaging and brokering for the 2018 fiscal year. The Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center partnered with FAHE to package and produce 137 loans totaling $23.6 million.
"I'm proud of our team. They work tirelessly every day to help make the dream of home ownership possible for Northeast Indiana families. We believe every person has a natural right to quality, safe and affordable housing. In our region, we have seen that home ownership is the best path to that. And together, FAHE and our team deliver on that belief every day. We are so appreciative of this award and of FAHE's partnership. We look forward to our two organizations enabling hundreds more Hoosiers to buy a safe, affordable home this coming year," stated Justin Barker, director of the Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center.
Assistance toward receiving one of these affordable, low-interest loans is provided by the Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center to families throughout Northeast Indiana. Contact the Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center at (800) 833-1571 or visit www.PathfinderHomes.org to learn more.


Note that removing an address book from the Address book manager does not delete the actual address book file – it remains on the disc. The remove operation only deletes the record in the Address book manager itself, that is the address book name and its associated path.
Since Viewer always stores your local address books (or copies of your synced books) locally you might need protection against a situation when your computer is compromised and someone gets unauthorized access to your address books. This is especially important if you use the Save password feature and keep your remote access passwords in connection properties.
This is when local address book encryption can help. When it's enabled you are prompted to enter a passphrase every time you run the Viewer. The passphrase allows you to unlock your address books in the Viewer interface and work with them. Without the passphrase neither you nor anyone else will be able to open your address books even if they possess the .xml files of the books.
Important: The local address book encryption is just an option and has nothing to do with other types of protection provided by Remote Utilities and specifically with the data transfer encryption. Remote Utilities connection between Viewer and Host/Agent is always encrypted and this type of encryption cannot be turned off. Learn more about Remote Utilities security here.
To enable address book encryption navigate to the Tools tab, click Options and select the Protection tab. In addition to encryption itself you can set options such as "lock on sleep", "lock on minimize" etc. that define the scope of this feature. For best possible protection you might want to enable all additional options in this tab.
Note: If you need to disable encryption or change the protection options later, you will need to provide the current passphrase.
As always, we welcome your questions and suggestions. Feel free to post on our community forum or write to us directly.


I started in real estate in 1980. Every day in this profession is a surprise, and each person I meet and build a relationship with just adds more interest and diversity to the "job." Change is constant and always exciting. This is a very fulfilling career that allows me to be the owner and CEO of my own business of helping others buy and sell what is usually their "most prized" possession: their home. I enjoyed 17 years on the mortgage side of this business. There's something about working with numbers that is calming and makes me happy!
I have a son, two daughters, one grandson, and three granddaughters, and they are all the most amazing and talented people in the world! My dad is 91–still driving, living independently, in good health, and a great sense of humor. With only a fifth-grade education, he worked hard all his life to provide for his family. My dad became a very successful farmer due to his discipline, hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to a very grueling and demanding profession. He was able to abundantly provide for not only my mom, sister, and me but also joyfully provided cars and college educations for his four grandchildren. He's a true champion and fierce and loyal defender of his loved ones.
I like to take Lulu (my Schnauzer) to the beach. I enjoy reading a good book while listening to the waves and wiggling my toes in the sand. I also like to wander around antique stores looking for special treasures.


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Mobile Gaming News
Apps & Lists
Touch, Tap, Play
Home Mobile Gaming News American Dad! Apocalypse Soon Announced For iOS, Android
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon Announced For iOS, Android
A new mobile game based on the popular American Dad show has been recently announced for iOS and Android with a Fall release date.
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon will be a game literally filled with fanservice, featuring all the main characters of the series such as the Smith Family as well as the alien Roger and all his different personas that appear in the show.
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon is divided into two distinct gameplay segments. The first one is a building – management game in the vein of Fallout Shelter, where players will build a compound located below the Smith family house.
The second gameplay segment is closer to a role-playing game, where players will have to put together a team made up of Roger's different personas and battle aliens.
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon doesn't seem like the most original game around,. but it will surely provide plenty of fun to all those who love the show.
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon launches this Fall on iOS, Android.
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Acts 13:8 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Focusing on our mission of evangelism negates the distractions of the devil.
I cannot remember a time when I was able to witness to someone totally free of any distraction. Without fail a distraction tends to arise in the middle of a witnessing moment. Just when the heart of the gospel is being shared we can expect something to happen that requires intense focus in order to continue that witness. A background noice…phone call…child playing or crying…something always happens to distract attention and focus.
The proconsul, Sergius Paulus, was listening to the Word of God. But Elymas would not hear it. He withstood the presentation of that Gospel. He had one mission…to turn the proconsul away from the faith. His goal was distraction.
Elymas…is everywhere. He doesn't want us sharing Jesus. He doesn't want unbelievers to hear truth. He doesn't want those who need faith to place their faith in God. He will use everything in his arsenal to get us off mission.
The enemy doesn't embrace HOPE. The enemy rejects faith. The enemy wants nothing to do with trust. The enemy has ONE mission: DESTRUCTION THROUGH DISTRACTION.
Paul didn't allow that distraction to work. He stayed focused on his mission to share Christ.
Father, keep our heart filled…our eyes focused…our faith full…our tongue always ready to share with others about YOUR love…In Jesus Name…Amen!!!


Following on from a successful Grandparents Day in St Colman's Stradbally last week, another Laois school held one today.
Grandmothers and grandfathers were given the royal treatment as Gaelscoil Phortlaoise celebrated their Grandparents day.
The day is aimed towards celebrating the important roles that grandparents play in the lives of children.
Grannys and granddads were mingling happily with each other as their grandchildren rolled out the red carpet for their relatives.
The kids were delighted to see their families and their smiling faces are reflective of that.
It was a brilliant day and fair play to the school for organising it.
Our photographer Julie Anne Miller was there and she captured some great pictures.


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Francisco Maria Churruca Iriondo Azpiazu Alcorta (born 1 April 1936), also known as Patxi, is a Spanish former jai alai player.  A native of Mutriku, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, he is regarded as the game's greatest player and has been called "the Babe Ruth of jai alai." He retired in 1983, saying "I knew it was time to quit when my eyes were quicker than my legs."

He was referenced in the television series Mad Men (set in the world of 1960s American advertising), in a storyline involving a client's elaborate plan to promote jai alai as the "new national pastime" with Patxi as its figurehead.

References

1936 births
Living people
People from Debabarrena
Spanish pelotaris
Sportspeople from Gipuzkoa
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
Pelotaris from the Basque Country (autonomous community)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Volvo Buses receives order for 475 hybrid buses from Quebec
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 11:30 CET
Volvo Buses' North American subsidiary, Nova Bus, has received an order for 475 hybrid buses from Quebec in Canada. This is the single largest order for hybrid vehicles that the Volvo Group has ever signed to date. The buses are scheduled for delivery beginning of 2014.
With a total of more than 1600 delivered hybrid buses Volvo Buses is the world leader in the fast-expanding market for hybrid buses. Now the company's North American subsidiary, city bus manufacturer Nova Bus, has received an order for 475 hybrid buses from the province of Quebec in Canada. This largest-ever single order for hybrid vehicles confirms Volvo Buses' position both in North America and globally. Delivery of the 475 LFS HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) buses will start in 2014. The order also encompasses an option for a further 1200 vehicles.
Long-term cooperation
The customer, ATUQ, is a consortium consisting of the province's nine transit authorities.
"This order underlines the strong relationship ATUQ and Nova Bus have developed over the years," said Jean-Pierre Baracat, President of Nova Bus. "ATUQ has renewed its confidence in our vehicles once again, and we are glad to continue to work together to further enhance transit services in our communities."
Environmentally optimised technology
Compared with conventional diesel-powered buses, the Nova LFS HEV offers approximately 30% lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In parallel with the continued enhancement of hybrid technology, Nova Bus is working on the development of other environmentally optimised solutions such as plug-in hybrids and all-electric buses.
"One important part of Nova Bus' vision is to be a leader in green efficiency and electro-mobility. We believe that lower-emissions buses help meet urban challenges such as congestion and improve quality of life," says Stefan Tilk, President Business region Americas, Volvo Buses.
Helena Lind, Manager Media Relations, Volvo Bus Corporation
Phone: +46 (0)31-323 62 57
Volvo Bus Corporation is one of the the world's largest manufacturer of large buses and coaches. The range comprises complete vehicles, chassis, bus bodies, transport system solutions for metropolitan traffic, leasing, financing and service contract maintenance. Volvo Bus Corporation is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment and drive systems for marine and industrial applications. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service.
Hybrid bus
One important part of Nova Bus' vision is to be a leader in green efficiency and electro-mobility. We believe that lower-emissions buses help meet urban challenges such as congestion and improve quality of life
Stefan Tilk


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Issue of abandoned land slowing rural development in Japan
Official records show no change in ownership of this pond in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, since 1886, the year the pond was likely created. | ERIC JOHNSTON
by Eric Johnston
TAKAHASHI, OKAYAMA PREF. – Nestled in the mountains on the border of Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures is Takahashi, a city of about 31,000 people which lies 30 minutes by train from the popular international tourist destination of Kurashiki.
Home to Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, built in 1240 on top of a 430-meter high mountain, and numerous examples of Meiji Era architecture, Takahashi is also known for its Bitchu pottery and for its numerous hiking trails favored by nature lovers.
But about a 10-minute drive west of Bitchu Takahashi Station lies a small and neglected man-made pond that has come to symbolize a growing problem nationwide, and one to which the central government is now seeking solutions — abandoned property whose ownership is unclear.
The Takahashi pond had long been used as a community water source even though it was never clear who owned it. That became an issue in April 2017 when part of the levee broke, creating a leak, and the city decided to drain the pond and develop the land.
"Takahashi was created following its merger with four smaller towns in 2004. It wasn't clear whether the pond had belonged to one of the pre-merger towns, in which case it would have become Takahashi's property, or whether it had been private property," said Yoshio Ishida, a member of the Takahashi Municipal Assembly.
"It was thus not clear who's in charge of maintaining the land or whether somebody could develop it," added Ishida, who was compelled to seek answers to those questions.
City officials were shocked when they checked the property register.
Official records showed no change in ownership since 1886, the year the pond was likely created. Who might have inherited the property from the original owners was unknown.
"The impetus for my raising the problem of unclear ownership of the pond has to do with the fact that Takahashi has a number of small ponds with such concerns. In the past, farming communities took care of them, using them as a communal water source. But now that the population in rural areas is declining, it's not always as clear who is responsible for their upkeep," Ishida said.
Takahashi officials contacted other Okayama cities to gauge the extent of the problem. Responses came in from seven cities, which cited examples of public works projects being delayed or canceled because nobody could find the land owners, whose permission was needed to complete the work.
"We heard of one case where a road project was canceled because a piece of land needed for it first required the consent of more than 50 heirs of the original owner, but the whereabouts of one heir could not be confirmed," said Takashi Nishimoto, a Takahashi city official.
What's happening in Takahashi is not unique, and it's affecting municipalities nationwide.
Loose laws that do not force inheritors of land to formally register their property have long been a concern in rural areas. Younger heirs leave for the big city and then can't be located by the towns or villages of their parents or other ancestors when their permission is required for a public works project to go ahead.
The Diet was jolted when a fiscal 2016 land ministry survey of 558 cities, towns and villages showed ownership for 20 percent of the land was unclear. The survey divided the land into urban, residential, farm and forest. In densely populated areas with more than 4,000 people per square kilometer, 14.5 percent of landowners were unclear, the survey revealed.
In residential areas, that figure was 17.4 percent, and for farmland, it was 16.9 percent. Ownership was unclear for over a quarter of designated forest areas (25.6 percent).
A similar report was released last year by a study group led by former internal affairs minister and Iwate Gov. Hiroya Masuda, who warned in 2014 that many rural areas would face extinction due to population decline. Masuda's group estimated that in 2016, ownership of some 4.1 million hectares of land, an area nearly the size of Kyushu, was unclear. And it could get worse.
"Left unchecked by policy measures, the amount of land with unclear ownership could expand to 7.2 million hectares by 2040," the report predicted. That's not much smaller than Hokkaido, which is nearly 7.8 million hectares.
The economic losses deriving from unused land with unknown owners by 2040 could reach ¥6 trillion, the report added. Of this, about ¥3.6 trillion was due to the degradation of farmland and forests that weakens their abilities to help prevent flooding and erosion. Another ¥2.2 trillion was estimated in the form of opportunity loss by delayed or canceled public works projects, and a decline in agriculture because nobody can figure out who owns the land or find the heirs of the original owner.
Over the past year, the government has taken steps to address the problem and Takahashi's pond became the subject of reference in official debates on the need for change. A bill under discussion would make it easier for private firms and towns and villages to more easily use land with unclear ownership for public purposes, such as parks or parking lots.
"In the case of road construction that requires purchase of land, unless a lot of real estate is secured, it won't advance. The bill we're discussing includes measures to address this problem and can help shorten the amount of time needed for completion," Hirofumi Kado, a Liberal Democratic Party member of the Lower House, said earlier last month at a committee meeting to discuss the bill.
For those who remember Japan's asset-inflated bubble economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the trillions of yen poured into rural construction projects that lined the pockets of corrupt officials but turned out to be white elephants, it's natural to be concerned over attempts to allow private firms and local governments to use unclaimed land if their project meets the somewhat vague definition of "public purpose."
But Shoko Yoshihara, a research fellow at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and author of a 2017 book on Japan's land problem in the age of population decline, said that while public purpose is difficult to define, the bill is the first step in the legal process.
"The purpose of the bill now being debated is to first decide the larger framework. Once it becomes law, the government will then sequentially create basic policies and guidelines. These will be more specific in terms of what is meant, under the legal rules, by 'public purpose,'" she said.
Some regional governments like Takahashi are doing what they can within existing laws to determine ownership, such as sending notices with property tax invoices to ask people to ensure their land is officially registered or to register the names of their heirs.
But many who have moved away don't want to bear the costs of registering and maintaining their property, especially if it is isolated. This has led to growing tension between mayors and village heads and the central government over who should pay up when abandoned land causes local economic harm.
"Protection of the plains and mountains is for preserving national water sources as well. If the land falls into ruin, the risk of damage due to natural disasters grows. Do local governments, with dwindling populations, have to bear the burden of protecting and maintaining this land?" asked Takahashi Mayor Takanori Kondo.
With their populations aging and shrinking, a number of cities, towns and villages are adopting local revitalization plans that encourage resettlement from more rural and isolated parts of a city to its densely populated areas, often in and around major train stations, in order to more easily and cheaply respond to social welfare and emergency needs.
Takahashi has adopted a "compact city" plan to accomplish this goal. Assemblyman Ishida said one way Tokyo could work better with local governments in addressing the problem of land with unclear ownership is to think more logically about where their elderly residents are likely to be living in the years ahead before determining land boundaries.
"The central government decides property lines based on a national survey, which prioritizes those living in mountainous and more rural areas within the city limits. In fact, there is land in many urban districts that can't be developed because ownership is unclear," Ishida said. "By 2040, many baby boomers will be over 80 years old and will have many heirs, and nobody is likely to be living on the land the government has surveyed and marked," he added.
aging, elderly, real estate, Okayama, depopulation


Headquartered in Plano, Texas and incorporated in 1959, Diodes Inc. is a global manufacturer of a vast array of application specific standard electronics, including diodes, rectifiers, transistors, MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), protection devices, functional specific arrays, single gate logic, amplifiers and comparators, Hall-effect and temperature sensors; power management devices, including LED drivers, AC/DC converters and controllers, DC/DC switching and linear voltage regulators, and voltage references; and specialty devices including USB power switches, load switches, voltage supervisors, and motor controllers.The company's product portfolio contains over 9,250 products ranging from discrete semiconductor to analog to standard logic, complex discrete, and silicon wafers. Their titular product, diodes, are available as switching diodes (single, dual, triple, quad, dual-dual), Zener diodes (with tolerances down to +/- 2.0%), low leakage diodes, and Schottky diodes. The company maintains manufacturing facilities and design centers all over the world including Texas, California, Taiwan, England, and Germany. Their wafer fabrication sites are located in Missouri, Manchester, and China. Diodes Inc.'s is qualified under the QS-9000, ISO-9001:2008, TS16849:2002, and ISO 14001 certification standards. Additionally, the company's supply chain is protected under the C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism). With a workforce of 6,151 strong, Diodes Inc. reported $827 million in revenue for fiscal year 2013 and manufactures for approximately 240 OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and EMS (electron manufacturing service) vendors. Diodes Inc. has diverse target end-markets including consumer electronics (33% of sales), computing (28%), industrial (20%), communications (16%), and automotive (3%). If you're in the market for connectors and other connector-related components, Just Connectors (a proprietary website of ASAP Semiconductor) is a leading distributor of all things connectors. We stock a vast inventory of Diode Inc. connector parts that are obsolete, rare, or current and are confident we can fulfill your procurement requirements. Please contact us today at sales@just-connectors.com if you have a demand for any of these connector parts or call us toll free at (714) 705 4780 and one of our knowledgeable sales person will assist you..


text:
HST Co. in THE SPOTlight!
GS Shoes, Bossini & Springfield open at The Spot Choueifat
HST Co. continues to expand within Lebanon, opening three stores at The Spot Mall in Choueifat. The recently opened mall is now home to GS Shoes, Bossini and Springfield, offering a wide array of apparel and footwear choices to shoppers.
HST Co. has strategically chosen the Spot Mall as a location for a selection of its brands in order to cater to the area of Chouifat-Khalde and its suburbs.
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Jamil Rayess General Manager of HST Co. stated: "A key part of our expansion strategy is to ensure that we are accessible across the country, bringing international fashion trends to Lebanon through a wide selection of leading brands. The Spot Mall is a great addition to the area, which previously lacked such a center, and as a company looking to expands its presence, it was the ideal next step."
HST Co. continues to be a reference in the world of retail and fashion. The company strives for constant expansion, be it in terms of growing the existing business, or acquiring new international brands.
GS Shoes
HST Co.
Spot Mall in Choueifat


text:
Mark Jackson highlights potential of young Leeds United winger and provides Mateo Joseph Fernandez update
Diskin's delight as Batley turn tables
THEIR LADBROKES Challenge Cup fourth round win at Toulouse Olympique proved the strength of Batley Bulldogs' squad, coach Matt Diskin reckons.
Updated Friday, 24th March 2017, 10:08 am
Matt Diskin
Bulldogs claimed a place in today's fifth round draw with a 34-16 success on a ground where they were crushed 44-6 in their opening Kingstone Press Championship fixture last month.
Toulouse coach Sylvain Houles fielded a below-strength side, but Batley were also without key players – including half-back Dominic Brambani – and Diskin said: "We have got a good squad and so have they.
"We had some fantastic players missing, we went over there with only one half-back and played extremely well. I was very proud of them and I don't think anybody should take anything away from them. It was a great result."
Diskin felt Bulldogs learned lessons from their league defeat. He added: "We reviewed it and looked at where we could improve.
"We didn't handle the occasion and we get embarrassed a bit.
"Ever since the draw was made the boys have been looking forward to going back over there and trying to prove a point.
"We have made such an inconsistent start we knew we needed to improve and we made a really positive step towards that."


I was going to check the helpfiles first to assist me in asking this question, but Arm is down, so Ill just ask as I remember.
I recall that in the helpfile on Karma it mentions several of the ways one can earn it, and one of those was helping people with the game and its environment. If that is the case, can people get positive notes in their favor for karma consideration by displaying their helpfullness on the GDB in a responsible, non IC harming way?
Just a curious 5DL, who is confident that once he has a character who reaches its 11th day, he will have all the clout he needs to get his psionic Nhilazi Gith approved.
It's certainly something we'd notice, and possibly give karma for, yes. Be aware, though, that a lot of people have GDB names that are very different than their account names, so we may not necessarily know who is who.
Hey Sanvean, so, your saying it is at least maybe possible, Ok how about going the other direction, is it possible to lose karma the same way?
X-D figures if it is true then he has about -400 karma and must keep his current char forever.
I can see the char creation screen now.
I don't think I've removed karma for any board posts. If someone was consistently belligerant, confrontative, did a lot of flaming and bashing staff, yes, it would be possible, but I suspect it's more likely someone would get banned from the board and/or the game for that. I can think of one user who's had what I consider staff bashing in their sig for nigh on a year, and they haven't suffered any for it.
My impression though is that generally someone's behavior on this board and on the game are usually quite similar, so if they're being disruptive here, they're probably doing it on the game as well and getting penalized for it.
Hhhhmm, thought that was a bumper sticker and it went, My karma ran over your dogma...or maybe the other way around.
I've learned that comments, whether good or bad must be taken in stride. Do not expect more karma just becuase you got a good comment. And if you lose some karma it isn't the end of the world. When I was still new to the game I was doing things right in a role that clicked for me, and I gained the d-elf option. Then, after that character died I tried out a desert elf, but wasn't playing him right, I wasn't skill maxing or anything like that, but I did something that warranted a loss of karma. I was upset, but I continued playing despite that and since then I believe I have become more responisble and better for it. It put me in check, and now im a better player for it, having since gained back that point of karma and more.
Karma is the ability to realistically play a role, as well as a level of trust between yourself and the staff members. People make mistakes and accidents happen. Deal with the bad and embrace the good, all you can do.
This reminds me of, "Your karma ran over my dogma."
Wow, way to throw those in there while I was writing my post!
I was under the impression that if you recieve a bad comment (especially bad enough to warrant karma loss) then the staff should notify you of the problem. Is this true? It would seem kinda silly if they just wrote bad things about you on your account and took away karma, but never let you know so that you could -correct- the problem.
Every person I know who has lost karma has been informed of it and the reasons for it.
It is our intent not to remove Karma without letting the player know why. It certainly would not be fair nor productive to do so. However, this is an ideal and does not always happen. If you lose creation options (which Karma roughly is represented by) and received no notification, I would highly suggest you contact the account and ask for feedback. It may just be that you had options that you were not supposed to, or that they were for a one time special application. Even in these cases, you should probably be informed.
Remember that comments are typically positive or negative reinforcement for something that was done that night. Players usually do not receive Karma for one event, but for an overall history of responsible play. If you get a positive comment about something you did that night, you won't necessarily receive Karma for that specific event.
I have know lots of players who are sketchy about their play. When others are around them, or they think they are being watched, they are fantastic players, but when they are alone they completely slip out of character and sometimes do things that they know aren't right. These people may also get positive comments and receive no karma. The comments they receive may be in the form of "Some fantastic RP tonight. You really stuck to what your character would do despite OOCly knowing it may end in death. I would like to see you extend this sort of great play to solo situations as well." I know a lot of players overlook the suggestion at the end, which is really a very constructive way of saying "You have great potential if you would just be consistant."
I can think of one user who's had what I consider staff bashing in their sig for nigh on a year, and they haven't suffered any for it.
I've taken an unhabitual moment to scour the GDB and upon reading of this post I have the suspision that you're talking about me, Sanvean.
Just so you know, I didn't mean anything by it. It was merely a vague gesture in reply to the mail that you guys sent me about my "offensive" cartoon signature where the guy kills 50 girls with a sword..... Anyway, I think I was in a bad mood when I posted that signature, wasn't playing the mud much either. Was a bit uncalled for I suppose. Shouldn't happen again.
Its all good now though. Nice and clean signature.
It is our intent not to remove Karma without letting the player know why. It certainly would not be fair nor productive to do so. However, this is an ideal and does not always happen.
This isn't the case for giving karma, though, right?
I know I was pleasantly surprised after my last PC died that I had received karma, but I don't think I've ever had a comment.
Yeah, I know why I got half of my karma, but as for the other half....I have no clue. I'd like to know what it was so that I could possibly exhibit more of whatever it was. I know all of the vague examples, but sometimes I need something more concrete to understand it.


text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
null

#### Original name
Dothiorella sorbina P. Karst.

### Remarks
null

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
ACE Pedelec Training
In the beginning, there was the idea of community. Originally exclusively for union members, the ACE, Auto Club Europa, founded in 1965, opened its doors to all motorists 30 years later. With 630,000 members, Germany's second-largest automobile club has nevertheless remained true to its social character: Ensuring mobility for all is the unofficial guiding principle of the Stuttgart-based club. And that includes all dimensions: Although primarily geared to car drivers, the ACE's service today includes not only every family member, but also every vehicle on wheels - from campers to bicycles. And the development is to go even further. The goal is that ACE is a mobility companion for all modern mobile people, regardless of the means of transport they use.
The mobility revolution and digitalization also pose challenges for the traditional club - and it has found some pretty smart answers to both questions: Linking vehicles and teams in a meaningful way.
One editorial system for all teams
In addition to the website and the social media presence, the members' magazine ACE LENKRAD, which is published six times a year, is the medium used by around 670,000 readers to find out about tire tests, new cars, and topics relating to road safety, electromobility, consumer protection, and new forms of mobility. Originally, each of the three teams - web, social media and print editors of ACE LENKRAD - worked on its own. In other words, each team not only had its own publishing system, but also its own asset management. "Our goal is to speak with one voice," says Anja Smetanin, Head of Marketing and Sales and Editor-in-Chief ACE LENKRAD at ACE. "However, the data silos between teams stood in the way of a consistent visual and textual language."
A central image database ensures consistent imagery
That's why ACE relies on Adobe Experience Manager assets to unify workflows and create a central data pool for images and graphics. In addition to a consistent visual language, editors also save valuable time. "Previously, images were stored all over the server - in folders for articles, for events, or even in employee folders," says Anja Smetanin. "Now we have a clear structure in which we can quickly find our way around." A nice side effect: The editorial teams were also able to identify and fill gaps in their image material, since there is an overall view for the first time.
In addition to the central organization, the automated image adjustment in particular is a great support for the teams. Social media platforms, website and magazine each have specific image format specifications. The "Auto Crop" function in Adobe Experience Manager Assets automatically adjusts images to the requirements of the respective platform - a huge increase in efficiency.
Text contents will also soon be organized across platforms
In the future, Adobe Experience Manager Assets will also function as a unified text database where articles and contributions from all three teams are stored and accessible. In this way, a text originally published in the ACE LENKRAD can be picked up by the website editorial team as easily as possible, adapted to the specifications of the website, and published quickly. The first step has already been taken: Via the flexible API, which enables seamless integration with various third-party systems, Adobe Experience Manager Assets is connected to the Simple Workspace editorial tool, which the ACE LENKRAD editors use to create the magazine. Texts can simply be dragged and dropped from Adobe Experience Manager Assets into the appropriate template of the editorial system - and the article is automatically formatted into the desired layout.
This still only works as a one-way street, because texts edited in the editorial tool are not automatically reflected back into Adobe Experience Manager Assets. But with the move of the website to Adobe Experience Manager Sites, this will also be possible and provide further efficiency gains. "Stability and security were key factors for us in choosing Adobe Experience Manager," says Anja Smetanin. "This way, we have all applications from a single source and can rely on the solutions to work together seamlessly. At the same time, the API allows us to continue working with our familiar editorial system. It was clear to us that we needed a future-proof, cloud-based solution that would grow with us and our requirements."
Anja Smetanin
Head of Marketing and Sales and Editor-in-Chief ACE LENKRAD, Auto Club Europa e.V.
Stability and security were key factors for us in choosing Adobe Experience Manager. We knew we needed a future-proof, cloud-based solution that would grow with us and our needs.
It's easier with a strong partner
Anja Smetanin's team was also aware that we are editors, not IT experts. That's why they chose Comwrap Reply as their technology partner. "I was particularly convinced by the intensive exchange at eye level and the project support. No matter how many questions we had - we always received detailed and understandable answers," says Anja Smetanin. "Implementing a new solution ecosystem of this scope is a big project. Because of the close support and stage structure, we feel good about moving safely through the process step by step."
"Many large companies rely on Adobe solutions. Medium-sized companies in particular are sometimes intimidated by this. Too expensive, too complex - we encounter this prejudice again and again," says Mathias Hermann, Managing Director and Partner at Comwrap Reply. "However, the flexible scalability of the solutions used, as well as the cloud-native architecture and comprehensive, AI-supported automation functions, mean that medium-sized companies in particular benefit. Thus, there is no need to spend large IT and marketing resources, nor to hire highly specialized professionals."
Mathias Hermann
Managing Director / Partner, Comwrap Reply
Thanks to the flexible scalability of the solutions used, as well as the cloud-native architecture and comprehensive, AI-supported automation functions, medium-sized companies in particular benefit. This means that neither large IT and marketing resources need to be expended nor highly specialized specialists hired.
The first stage has been completed, but ACE already has its sights firmly set on the next goals. In the future, the club wants to increase the focus on personalizing its content. With the help of Adobe Analytics, ACE wants to better understand the interests and needs of its members and respond with appropriate content. Adobe Target will then ensure that members receive relevant content at the right time on their preferred channel.
This also includes the ACE LENKRAD: "Currently, all members receive the same magazine," says Anja Smetanin. "In the future, we want to create a more interactive format in addition to the classic magazine. For example, those interested in campers will then find tips online about travel destinations or equipment, and electric car drivers* will be able to find out about the latest models." In addition, the app and self-service area will be further expanded to give members more autonomy here as well. We wish you a safe journey!
Photo by Markus Bachmann / ACE Auto Club Europa


Dukkah! My absolute favorite condiment. I've made countless versions of dukkah over the years, and I'm excited to share 2 new recipes with you. Pronounced DOO-kah, this condiment is typically a blend of toasted nuts, seeds and spices. It originates in Egypt and can be used in a multitude of ways depending on the recipe. I love to use it as a topping for salads, smoothies and smoothie bowls, grain bowls, meat and/or fish, soup… Well, literally everything. Heck sometimes I just eat it by the handful as a snack. It's addictive and packs a huge flavor punch. It can take a salad from aight to BAM! just like that. I highly encourage you to play around with different combinations of nuts and seeds to make your own recipes. If you are allergic to nuts, you could sub sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and/or toasted buckwheat groats for the nuts. The sky's the limit here! Enjoy!
1.) If using raw coconut, toast the coconut in a dry skillet until lightly toasted being careful not to burn. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2.) Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet until golden and fragrant or in a 350-degree preheated oven for 5-8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and chop coarsely. Combine all ingredients and toss well. Store this dukkah in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for 1-2 months.
1.) Lightly the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden (about 5 minutes). Remove from skillet, chop coarsely and set aside.
2.) Toast the sesame seeds, nigella or celery seed and coriander seed in a dry skillet until golden (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add to bowl with pine nuts.
3.) Coarsely chop the pistachios then combine with all other ingredients and toss well. Store this dukkah in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for 1-2 months.
Love the idea of a sweet dukkah Alison! I'm definitely making it today to use on coconut yogurt etc. Yum!


text:
Home All Maps Lancashire OS – 25inch 1st Ed – 1888/93 – DISK 2.
View cart "Canal Maps of the 19th Century" has been added to your cart.
Lancashire OS – 25inch 1st Ed – 1888/93 – DISK 2.
Ordnance Survey 25 inch first edition 1888 – 1893
Disk 2. from a set of three CD's containing all the maps of this series scanned and reproduced in high resolution.
SKU: Lancs_25inch_cd2.
Friend Email Address :
Enter Message To Friend :
CD TWO, from a set of three CD's containing all the maps of this series scanned and reproduced in high resolution.
Disc 2. Covers the southeast of the County to a line from Warrington to north of Longridge.
These CD's contain images of the Ordnance Survey first edition 25-inch maps of Lancashire which were produced between 1888 and 1893. The scale is 1 to 2500 or 25.344 inches to the mile. These maps covered the whole of the built up and cultivated areas of Lancashire. They show almost every detail of the landscape at its true scale, including roads, which on most maps are exaggerated to make them stand out. Individual trees in hedgerows and open fields are shown in their correct places, but woodlands, of course, are shown symbolically. The maps do not show contours of the landscape but do show some spot heights. Enclosed areas of land show the acreage of the plot and a reference number. This number is a reference to an entry in a record book, which gave a detailed description of the plot and its use. Unfortunately very few of these books have survived. These maps were used as a basis for valuation of property under the Finance Act (1909-10).
The maps, of which there are almost 1400 in the Lancashire series, were scanned from the maps held by the Lancashire Record Office, Preston with their permission and kind help. A few of the missing maps were supplied by local Libraries and Record Offices. The maps are the equivalent of what is now A0 size measuring about 40ins by 30ins. They have been reproduced at 300dpi giving a very detailed image. Most of the maps are in good condition considering that they are over a hundred years old but a few are showing the wear and tear of time and some electronic cleaning has taken place. Where ever possible, better copies were obtained when a map was in a poor condition.
There were three editions of these Maps. The first was published between 1888 and 1893, the second 1904 to 1912 and the third 1924 to 1938.
There is an overlap of 4 maps on the boundaries between this and the other CD's.
Derbyshire OS – 25inch 2nd Ed – 1896 – 1900
This CD contains images of the Ordnance Survey second edition 25-inch maps of Derbyshire which were produced between 1896 and 1900. The scale is 1 to 2500 or 25.344 inches to the mile.
SKU: Derbyshire_25inch.
Categories: Derbyshire, All Maps.
This CD contains ima...
Hennet's Map of Lanc...
This CD contains all...
Canal Maps
Flintshire & Denbighshire
Our Maps DVDs
Jefferys Map of Yorkshire – 1771
The Goad Maps of Manchester – Fire Insurance Plans
Yates Map of Lancashire – 1786
60in O.S. & Other Large Scale Town Plans – 1848 – 1884
Warrington OS – 60inch Town Plan – 1849 and 1884
Halifax – Myers Map of the Parish of Halifax
Manchester – Adshead 80 inch Ward Map – 1851
Manchester and Salford OS – 60 inch – 1844 – 1849
Yorkshire O.S. – 6inch 1st Ed – 1844 – 1853
Lancashire OS – 6inch 1st Ed – 1841 – 1853
Lancashire OS – 25inch 1st Ed – 1888 – 1893
London OS – 25 inch 1st Ed – 1862 – 1872
Flintshire & Denbighshire OS – 6inch 1st Ed – 1869-1875
Cheshire OS – 6 inch 1st Ed – 1870 – 1875
Cheshire OS – 25inch 3rd Ed – 1904 – 1910
The map also contains town plans of: Leeds, York, Sheffield, Hull, Rippon and Scarborough.
SKU: Jefferys_Map_Yorks.
Jefferys Map of Yorkshire – 1771 The map also contains town plans of: Leeds, York, Sheffield, Hull, Rippon and Scarborough.
Manchester – 80 inch Ward Map – 1851
Joseph Adshead's map is one of the cartographical gems of Manchester, a depiction of the Victorian city in all its fascination.
SKU: Adshead_80inch_Manc.


text:
Centeterus linearis är en stekelart som först beskrevs av Léon Abel Provancher 1886.  Centeterus linearis ingår i släktet Centeterus och familjen brokparasitsteklar. Inga underarter finns listade.

Källor

Brokparasitsteklar
linearis


text:
2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest
Riot against Donald Trump rally
Part of the protests against Donald Trump
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois
41°52′29″N 87°39′22″W / 41.87472°N 87.65611°W / 41.87472; -87.65611Coordinates: 41°52′29″N 87°39′22″W / 41.87472°N 87.65611°W / 41.87472; -87.65611
Donald Trump visit
Demonstration, Assault[1]
Resulted in
Donald Trump rally canceled
Parties to the civil conflict
Anti-Trump protesters[2]
Donald Trump supporters
42,500+[3]
6,000[3]
4+[4]
5 (including a CBS News reporter)[4]
On March 11, 2016, the Donald Trump presidential campaign canceled a planned rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), in Chicago, Illinois, citing "growing safety concerns" due to the presence of thousands of protesters inside and outside his rally.[5][6]
Thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators responding to civic leaders' and social media calls to shut the rally down had gathered outside the arena, and several hundred more filled seating areas within the UIC Pavilion, where the rally was to take place. When the Trump campaign announced that the rally would not take place, there was a great deal of shouting and a few small scuffles between Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters.
1 Prelude
2 Incident
2.1 Arrests
3 Reactions and aftermath
3.1 Presidential candidates
3.1.1 Republican
3.1.2 Democratic
Prelude[edit]
Plans to protest the Trump rally were launched a week in advance by a variety of community and student groups who largely organized via social media. Some 43,000 undergraduate and graduate students had signed a petition asking UIC to cancel the rally by March 6.[7] That same day, Latino leaders in the city, led by Democratic U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, issued a call to their constituents to join them in a protest outside the UIC Pavilion, where the rally was to take place.[8] One of many student-based protests was first proposed by 20-year-old Chicago political activist and Bernie Sanders supporter Ja'Mal Green, who had posted to Facebook a week urging others to "get your tickets to this. We're all going in!!!! #SHUTITDOWN."[9] Green told reporters that the plan was for protestors to make noise when Trump appeared, "and then rush the stage."[10] While "activist groups did try to disrupt the event, ... many protesters said that they learned of the demonstrations on social media and went of their own accord."[11]
MoveOn.org confirmed that it helped promote the protest and paid for printing protest signs and a banner.[9][12] Among those who took part in organizing the protest included members of the UIC faculty, People for Bernie, the Fearless Undocumented Association, Black Lives Matter, Assata's Daughters, BYP100, College Students for Bernie, and Showing Up for Racial Justice, with "black, Latino and Muslim young people" at the "core" of the crowds of protesters.[13][14][15][16][17]
Incident[edit]
Protesters outside the rally chant "Shut it down"
Video of Trump rally at UIC Pavilion in Chicago on March 11, 2016, immediately after news of Trump's cancellation of attendance of the event. Many protesters cheer "Bernie!" to show their support for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.
Voice of America video of the clashes at the UIC Pavilion
The protests had begun 24 hours prior to the event with a vigil outside UIC Pavilion. The vigil lasted until the rally was scheduled to begin.[18]
Thirty minutes after the rally was scheduled to begin, a representative of the Trump campaign came on stage and announced that the rally was postponed. The crowd immediately cheered and chanted "We dumped Trump!" and "We shut it down!"[14] As Trump supporters shouted "We want Trump!", arguments, several fistfights,[2] and small scuffles[19] broke out between the groups.[14] Two police officers and at least two civilians were injured during the protests. Five people were arrested, including Sopan Deb, a CBS News reporter who was covering Trump's campaign.[2] Protesters said that they were protesting against racism and Trump's policies.[20] Some of the demonstrators were also members of the group Black Lives Matter.[20][21][22] A smaller number of protesters were seen carrying flags representing various groups and countries, including Mexico.[23][24]
John Escalante, the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), said about 300 officers were on hand for crowd control.[2] A CPD spokesman said the department had never told the Trump campaign that there was a security threat, and added that the department had sufficient manpower on the scene to handle any situation.[25]
The Trump campaign postponed the rally. The CPD and other law-enforcement authorities "were not consulted and had no role in canceling the event."[19] Trump initially claimed he had conferred with Chicago Police but later said that he made the decision himself: "I didn't want to see people get hurt [so] I decided to postpone the rally."[26][27][28][29][30]
Arrests[edit]
Arrest being made at the protest
Four individuals were arrested and charged in the incident. Two were "charged with felony aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest", one was "charged with two misdemeanor counts of resisting and obstructing a peace officer", and the fourth "was charged with one misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing a peace officer".[31] Sopan Deb, a CBS reporter covering the Trump campaign, was one of those arrested outside the rally. He was charged with resisting arrest;[32] Chicago police ultimately dropped the charges.[33]
Reactions and aftermath[edit]
Voice of America video about Trump and Sanders' responses to the postponed Chicago rally
Protesters celebrate event cancellation outside of event
Attendees exit Harrison Street east after rally was canceled. Video from eyewitness protester.
After the event was postponed, Green described the cancellation of the event as a "win," saying that "our whole purpose was to shut it down... we had to show him that our voice in civil rights was greater than his voice. The minority became the majority today."[10] Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised the Chicago Police Department's work to restore order.[2]
Trump blamed Sanders for the clashes in Chicago, insisting that the protesters were "Bernie's crowd" and that a protester who charged the stage at an event in Dayton, Ohio, the following day was a "Bernie person", calling on Sanders to "get your people in line."[12][34] Sanders subsequently denounced Trump as a "pathological liar" who leads a "vicious movement", and said that "while I appreciate that we had supporters at Trump's rally in Chicago, our campaign did not organize the protests." Sanders blamed Trump for propagating "birther" conspiracy theories and for promoting "hatred and division against Latinos, Muslims, women and people with disabilities."[34]
Presidential candidates[edit]
Republican[edit]
Rivals for the Republican presidential nomination criticized Trump. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said, "When you have a campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, you create an environment that only encourages that sort of nasty discourse."[35] John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, issued a statement saying, "Tonight, the seeds of division that Donald Trump has been sowing this whole campaign finally bore fruit, and it was ugly."[2] Senator Marco Rubio of Florida attributed blame for the events at various parties, including the protesters, the media, and the Democratic Party, but "reserved his harshest words" for Trump, condemning him for inciting supporters who have punched and beaten demonstrators and likening him to "Third World strongmen".[36]
Democratic[edit]
Clinton, one of two Democratic presidential candidates in the 2016 election, said in a statement that the Trump campaign's "divisive rhetoric" was of "grave concern" and said, "We all have our differences, and we know many people across the country feel angry. We need to address that anger together."[37] The morning after the incident, Clinton said, "The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong, and it's dangerous. If you play with matches, you're going to start a fire you can't control. That's not leadership. That's political arson."[38] Bernie Sanders, the other Democratic candidate, tweeted: "We will continue to bring people together. We will not allow the Donald Trumps of the world to divide us up."[39]
Media[edit]
Conservative media described protest actions as an infringement on Trump's freedom of speech. National Review editor Rich Lowry called the protest an indefensible "mob action" and wrote that "the spectacle ... will probably only help" Trump, since he "thrives on polarization and has sought to turn up the temperature of his rallies with his notorious suggestions that protesters should get roughed up." Fox News host Jeanine Pirro characterized the protesters as "abject anarchists" who had infringed upon Trump's right to free speech by "responding to activist calls at #SHUTITDOWN."[40][41]
Other media outlets stated that such protest actions were predictable due to Trump's rhetoric. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC said that Trump's violent rhetoric at campaign rallies resulted in the escalation of tensions: "Anybody who tells you that there is no connection between the behavior of the mob at these events and the behavior of the man at the podium leading the mob at these events is not actually watching what he's been saying from the podium."[42] Jelani Cobb wrote in the New Yorker that "[t]he image of protesters clashing with Trump supporters in Chicago ... is the logical culmination of what we've seen throughout his Presidential campaign" as "the idea of fighting to take the country back" promoted by Trump's campaign "went from figurative to literal."[43]
Chicago portal
1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity
List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
United States presidential election in Illinois, 2016
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Media related to 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest at Wikimedia Commons
^ http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/donald-trump-chicago-protests/
^ a b c d e f Diamond, Jeremy; Schleifer, Theodore. "Trump supporters, protesters clash after Chicago rally postponed". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ a b O'Brien, Keith (March 13, 2016). "Inside the Protest That Stopped the Trump Rally". Politico. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
^ a b Bellware, Kim. "Donald Trump Rally In Chicago Canceled After Protesters Turn Out In Droves". huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "STATEMENT REGARDING TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHICAGO RALLY POSTPONEMENT". Donald J Trump for President. March 11, 2016. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
^ Johnson, Jenna; Berman, Mark (March 12, 2016). "Post Politics Skirmishes erupt after Trump cancels Chicago rally over security concerns". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Kim, Katie (March 7, 2016). "Student Petition Aims to Cancel Trump Rally in Chicago, Protests Planned". NBC news. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Bowean, Lolly (March 6, 2016). "In Chicago, Trump to face protest by Latino leaders". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ a b Seitz-Wald, Alex (March 12, 2016). "How Bernie Sanders Supporters Shut Down Donald Trump's Rally in Chicago". MSNBC. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ a b Atwood, Kylie (March 12, 2016). "Trump protest organizer calls raucous night a "win"". CBS News. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Barbaro, Michael; Parker, Ashley; Gabriel, Trip (March 13, 2016). "Donald Trump's Heated Words Were Destined to Stir Violence, Opponents Say". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ a b Scott, Eugene; Johns, Joe (March 12, 2016). "Sanders: Don't blame my supporters for violence at Trump rally". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Decker, Kathleen (March 13, 2016). "For Donald Trump, protests create a short-term benefit and a long-term threat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ a b c Flitter, Emily (March 11, 2016). "Trump's Chicago rally called off for safety reasons amid chaos". Reuters. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Linthicum, Kate (March 12, 2016). "How black, Latino and Muslim college students organized to stop Trump's rally in Chicago". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Cassidy, John (March 13, 2016). "The Chicago Anti-Trump Protest Was Only the Beginning". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
^ Guarino, Mark (March 12, 2016). "In Chicago, an organized and organic disruption of Trump". Washington Post. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
^ Lowe, Mike (March 11, 2016). "24-hour vigil precedes protest at Donald Trump rally in Chicago". Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ a b Bosman, Julie; Davey, Monica (March 11, 2016). "Donald Trump's Rally in Chicago Canceled After Violent Scuffles". The New York Times. Chicago. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
^ a b Diamond, Jeremy; Schleifer, Theodore (March 11, 2016). "Trump supporters, protesters clash after Chicago rally postponed". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "Trump: 'You Can Not Have A Rally In A Major City Anymore Without Violence'". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Beckett, Lois (March 12, 2016). "Black Lives Matter v All Lives Matter: political discourse at a Donald Trump rally - video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "Trump calls off Chicago rally following violent clashes". BBC News. March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Glawe, Gideon Resnick-Justin (March 12, 2016). "Protesters Scare Trump Out of Chicago". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "Chicago Police Deny Advising Trump to Cancel Event". Talking Points Memo. Associated Press. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
^ "Trump cancels Chicago rally, says he didn't want to see anyone hurt". Fox News. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
^ "Trump Rally in Chicago Postponed After Clashes". NBC News. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "Trump Rally Postponed in Chicago Amid Safety Concerns". ABC News. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ DelReal, Jenna Johnson, Jose A.; Rucker, Philip (March 11, 2016). "Trump cancels Chicago rally over security concerns". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Rhodes, Wawn (March 13, 2016). "4 charged in clashes after canceled Trump rally at UIC". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ Calderon, Michael (March 13, 2016). "CBS News Reporter Sopan Deb Arrested While Covering Donald Trump Rally". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ Diamond, Jeremy (March 17, 2016). "Police: Charges dropped against CBS reporter". CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
^ a b Yuhas, Alan (March 12, 2016). "Sanders calls Trump 'pathological liar' as Chicago rally backlash grows". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ "Presidential Candidates React To Violence At Donald Trump's Chicago Rally". NPR. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Peters, Jeremy W. (March 12, 2016). "Marco Rubio, Nearing Reckoning in Florida Primary, Likens Donald Trump to 'Third-World Strongmen'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Marans, Daniel (March 12, 2016). "Sanders Unloads On 'Pathological Liar' Trump". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Chozick, Amy (March 12, 2016). "Hillary Clinton on Trump Rallies: 'That's Political Arson'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Madhani, Aamer; Stanglin, Doug (March 12, 2016). "Trump blames 'thugs' for canceling Chicago rally". USA Today. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Pirro, Jeanine (March 12, 2016). "Judge Jeanine: Words are not an excuse to become violent". Fox News. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Lowry, Rich (March 11, 2016). "Chicago 2016". National Review. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Kreps, Daniel (March 12, 2016). "Rachel Maddow: Donald Trump's Violent Rhetoric Sparked Chicago Protest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Cobb, Jelani (March 12, 2016). "Donald Trump, Chicago, and the Lessons of 1968". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
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text:
The Fall of Kunduz to the Taliban Is a Sign of Things to Come
By Mirren Gidda On 10/12/15 at 11:41 AM EDT
Afghan security forces and volunteer militias re-group on their way to Kunduz, Afghanistan to fight against Taliban fighters, October 1. The new leader of the Afghan Taliban says their capture of the northern city of Kunduz was a "symbolic victory" that showed the strength of the insurgency even though the Taliban pulled out of the city after three days. Naim Rahimi/AP
World Taliban Afghanistan Kunduz
The people of Taloqan are trapped. "We are hearing the sounds of the Taliban, we can hear gunshots in the middle of the night," says engineering student Abobaker Seyar, speaking on a crackling phone line from the city of 73,000 people in the north of Afghanistan. "My family is worried. We are in danger, but we cannot go to Kabul because the roads are blocked."
Taloqan is an hour's drive east from the city of Kunduz, which Taliban insurgents, after multiple attempts, seized on September 28. In the chaos that followed, U.S. air forces mistakenly bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital on October 3, killing at least 22 people. The Taliban remain in parts of the city and have pushed into other districts, getting ever closer to Taloqan. "They are so close to [us], they are attacking, and the people are very worried," says Seyar. "We don't have any security. We don't have any military. The electricity has been destroyed and the schools and mosques are closed."
The amount of territory the Taliban control in Afghanistan tends to ebb and flow as they launch frequent fresh offensives, but Thomas Ruttig, co-director and co-founder of the research organization the Afghanistan Analysts Network, notes that it has "increased its activities and scope of territory covered almost year-by-year since 2001." What sets the current offensive apart, however, is that the group is showing more ambition and has altered its strategy. "This time around, the Taliban is targeting urban spaces, whereas previously it was going for rural and largely remote areas," says Michael Kugelman, senior program associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C.based policy forum focused on global issues.
The fall of Kunduz—home to 157,000 people—seemed to be a sign not only of the Taliban's new intent but also their capabilities. On October 4, the group launched an attack on Maimana, the capital of nearby Faryab province and home to 84,000 people. Government forces repelled the Taliban fighters, but they remain in the province, prompting fears that another assault is coming. This focus on the north of the country also marks a geographical refocusing for the Taliban, whose strongholds traditionally lie in the south and the east. According to the Long War Journal, a website that reports on the wars following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, of the 11 far northern areas the Taliban are believed to hold, nine were taken or retaken by the militants recently. These gains pose two questions: Why the change in strategy, and how are the Taliban making progress in a traditional government stronghold?
In northeast Afghanistan is Badakshan province, which extends, fingerlike, along the border with Tajikistan until it touches western China. There the Taliban, according to the Long War Journal, currently holds three districts. To the west of Badakshan is Takhar, whose capital is Taloqan. And to the west of Takhar is Baghlan province, which sits directly south of Kunduz. The Afghanistan Analysts Network describes one district of Baghlan, home to an estimated 70,000 people, as "Taliban-infested."
The Taliban's presence in these four provinces makes economic sense. The roads here constitute one of three major smuggling routes in Afghanistan for the country's vast illicit opium and heroin production business. The route leads through Central Asia to Russia and the rest of Europe. According to the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, drug smuggling is a major source of revenue for the Taliban.
A presence in the north also grants the Taliban sway over an area of increasing geopolitical importance. "Northern Afghanistan is the gateway to Central Asiaan energy-rich region where a new 'great game' is being played out by China, Russia, the U.S. and other nations," says Kugelman. "By building up a stronghold in northern Afghanistan, the Taliban can impact major geopolitical trends in an area of great international import." A base in the north also keeps the Taliban close to allies in Central Asia. In August, the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, announced that its fighters in Kunduz had sworn loyalty to the Taliban, according to the Long War Journal. And later the IJU said that they had fought in the assault on Kunduz.
The push into the north is also giving the Taliban a propaganda boost. The region is traditionally considered home to ethnic Tajiks, Uzbeks and the Shia Hazaras, all united in opposition to the predominantly Pashtun Taliban.
By showing that they can take districts in the north, as well as a major city, the Taliban seem to be demonstrating the full extent of its growing power. "The psychology of the Taliban taking Kunduz is huge," says Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow in the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, a public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. Speaking to Newsweek from Kabul, she adds: "[Kunduz's] impact is far bigger than the Taliban's push in Musa Qala [Helmand province] this year or last year."
Who's to blame for this northern surge? Waiting anxiously in Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan, civil society activist Atef Arefyan thinks he has the answer. "There aren't enough security forces in Baghlan," says Arefyan, who worked for the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission during the 2005 Afghan parliamentary elections and the Electoral Complaints Commission during the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2010 respectively. "We asked Kabul to send more forces, but none have arrived." Arefyan is ready to flee should the Taliban come any closer. He says that if Taliban fighters find him and identify him as a former employee of two electoral commissions, they will kill him. He says they are now just three miles away.
An Afghan security officer walks past a Taliban fighter's dead body after retaking Kunduz from the insurgent group on October 4, 2015. Afghan officials said 150 Taliban militants were killed and dozens of others wounded in the operation in northern Kunduz. Jawed Dehsabzi/Anadolu Agency/Getty
The Taliban's assault on Kunduz came on the eve of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's one-year anniversary in power and appeared to be timed to emphasize the weaknesses of the current administration. Critics have noted that Ghani is yet to appoint a defense minister. On July 4, the Afghan parliament rejected Ghani's third nominee for the role, indicating, perhaps, that he has little control of parliament.
Parliamentary discord isn't Afghanistan's only concern. According to the Berlin-based watchdog group Transparency International, corruption is a major problem in the country. In 2014, the organization placed Afghanistan's public sector third from last in its global Corruption Perceptions Index. On December 4, a day after the report was published, Ghani told delegates at a conference in London: "You, our partners, do not need to remind us that corruption is a problem."
Afghanistan's security forces have come under particular criticism. "There are serious problems of corruption and combat motivation among Afghan security forces, especially the police," says Stephen Biddle, adjunct senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, which is based in New York. Following reports that government forces apparently abandoned Kunduz, Ghani said in a statement published October 1 that "those who have neglected their duties will be punished."
For now, Kabul has some valuable allies in its war against the Taliban. U.S. and NATO troops have a continued presence in the country, though the latter now only train, advise and assist. While U.S. forces are carrying out bombing raids against the Taliban, the number of troops in the country has fallen, down to 9,800 from a high of 100,000 in 2011. The U.S. has also reduced its amount of airstrikes in Afghanistan.
Those U.S. strikes can mean the difference between victory and defeat. U.S. bombing attacks on Taliban forces in Kunduz and Badakshan prevented more of the north falling into Taliban hands and allowed Afghan forces to retake much of Kunduz, says Felbab-Brown. "Significant reductions in U.S. assistance in troops or intel and air support will greatly increase the chances that major successes of the Taliban...will happen again," she adds.
U.S. forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan at the end of 2016. The withdrawal would inevitably reduce the government's defensive capabilities, and it could give the Taliban the expectation that they will face even less opposition once the U.S. has left. Scheduled withdrawals, Biddle says, can have a secondary effect of postponing settlement talks. Knowing that U.S. troops will be out of the country soon, the Taliban are likely to wait and see what the consequences of full withdrawal are before going to the negotiating table with serious intent.
This leaves the Ghani government in a difficult position as it begins its second year. Buoyed by their initial success, the Taliban show no sign of giving up on northern Afghanistan. According to the Long War Journal, the group is still contesting 11 districts in Badakshan, Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar, as well as 25 others across Afghanistan.
Increasingly this will be a fight between Afghan forces and the Taliban. Though the U.S. is willing to provide some support, the Afghan government can no longer rely on the international intervention it received in former years. But in order to combat the insurgents, the administration will need to improve its security forces, which Kugelman describes as "not up for the task." When the estimated 500 Taliban militants stormed Kunduz, thousands of Afghan troops fled. As the group turns its attentions to regions elsewhere in the north, the government will need to ensure that the country's protectors stand their ground.
Lessons From Kunduz: The Next Steps in Preventing Civilian Casualties
Why The Battle Between Afghan Forces and The Taliban For Kunduz City Matters


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