text:
Glenwood Springs eyes full rebuild of south Midland Avenue
Local | January 25, 2018
John Stroud
jstroud@postindependent.com
Cars head north on south Midland Avenue during the after school rush on Thursday afternoon. Damage to the Jersey barriers that line the steep slope is common from the frequent rockfall in the area.
Chelsea Self / Post Independent |
Glenwood Springs is moving toward a full, $9.5 million rebuild of south Midland Avenue instead of a less-expensive yet temporary fix that could also serve to save money for the much-larger South Bridge project.
Council members in attendance at a work session last week agreed with a staff recommendation to proceed to 100 percent bid design for full reconstruction of Midland from the 27th Street roundabout south to what would be a new roundabout at the Four Mile Road intersection.
Design work is expected to continue through this year, with construction possible in 2019, depending on the timing of the 27th Street Bridge replacement and other infrastructure projects, according to city officials.
On the table for comparison were a pair of partial reconstruction options that would improve the driving surface on Midland with an asphalt overlay and a lifespan from five to 20 years, at a cost of between $1.4 million and $1.8 million.
However, neither of those options would do anything to correct serious drainage, snow removal and rock slough issues along the hillside, according to a memo from the city's Engineering Department. They also would not include a sidewalk or correct problems at a couple of key intersections.
The so-called "base project," at $9.52 million, would include a new 90-degree intersection at Old Cardiff Bridge Road. It also includes a $2 million roundabout at Four Mile Road where Midland turns into Airport Road.
"The base scope addresses drainage, pedestrian access, rock catchment, snow removal and intersection safety issues," the staff memo stated. Also, "At this time, the school district administration has indicated that they are interested in cooperating to solve property, drainage and circulation issues" where the roundabout would be constructed near Sopris Elementary School.
"That may or may not continue in the future," the memo stated.
City Councilor Jonathan Godes, who represents the Ward 5 (south Glenwood) neighborhoods and made Midland Avenue improvements a key issue in his campaign last year, said it's important to move forward with the full deal.
"At end of day, it's about getting this done right and not having to potentially revisit it five years from now," Godes said.
The full rebuild also includes about $1 million for replacement of an aging and undersized water line that serves the area. Godes said that the city could conceivably spend money to do the overlay project without the water line, only to have to tear it back up if the line fails.
"The was what kind of won the day," Godes said of the work session meeting last week, where the consensus was to move ahead a full design by year's end and a project that could be ready for construction in 2019.
Mayor Michael Gamba, who was not at the work session, has indicated his desire to save some money with one of the lesser South Midland options. That way, the city can put more money toward the estimated $45 million South Bridge connection across the Roaring Fork River to Colorado Highway 82, he said.
Given the nearby Atkinson Trail along the river a short distance to the east, Gamba has also questioned the need for a sidewalk to be built as part of the Midland project. Gamba said this week that he would like to bring the question up for some more discussion among council.
Godes said Thursday that the sidewalk is a necessary component of the Midland project for a couple of reasons.
"On any given day people are always walking alongside Midland with strollers, so there really is a need for a sidewalk there for pedestrian connectivity," he said. Atkinson can be more difficult for families with younger children to use, plus it gets icy and is harder to maintain in the winter, Godes added.
A full street and sidewalk rebuild, with a wider platform, would also allow for two-way traffic to be maintained during construction, where the other options would only allow for alternating one-way traffic for several months, he said.
"You either pay now or you pay later, because people are still going to walk on that road," he said.
Godes said the South Bridge project is also a critical need, but is one that's a ways off in terms of securing funding and partnership agreements with Garfield County, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.
Once the south Midland design is complete and project is put out to bid, it's ready to go, he said.
Glenwood prosecutor wins award for welfare fraud trial
Glenwood's Midland Bridge to be closed July 19-20 for re-decking
Sunday profile: Glenwood resident Annie Zancanella known as 'Tanzanian Tooth Fairy' after 5 months in African nation
UPDATE: CDOT partially re-opens one lane of Highway 325 to all travelers
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SYS_CONTEXT function can be use to retrieve information about the Oracle environment.
Proxy with username: database user name if client is a local database user; nickname if client is an enterprise user.
You can use IDENTIFICATION_TYPE to distinguish between external and enterprise users when the authentication method is Password, Kerberos, or SSL.
Returns an identifier that is set by the application through the DBMS_SESSION.SET_IDENTIFIER procedure, the OCI attributeOCI_ATTR_CLIENT_IDENTIFIER, or Oracle Dynamic Monitoring Service (DMS). This attribute is used by various database components to identify lightweight application users who authenticate as the same database user.
The bind variables for fine-grained auditing. You can specify this attribute only inside the event handler for the fine-grained auditing feature.
The name of the currently active default schema. This value may change during the duration of a session through use of an ALTER SESSIONSET CURRENT_SCHEMA statement. This may also change during the duration of a session to reflect the owner of any active definer's rights object. When used directly in the body of a view definition, this returns the default schema used when executing the cursor that is using the view; it does not respect views used in the cursor as being definer's rights.
Note: Oracle recommends against issuing the SQL statement ALTER SESSION SET CURRENT_SCHEMA from within all types of stored PL/SQL units except logon triggers.
CURRENT_SQL returns the first 4K bytes of the current SQL that triggered the fine-grained auditing event. The CURRENT_SQLn attributes return subsequent 4K-byte increments, where n can be an integer from 1 to 7, inclusive. CURRENT_SQL1 returns bytes 4K to 8K; CURRENT_SQL2returns bytes 8K to 12K, and so forth. You can specify these attributes only inside the event handler for the fine-grained auditing feature.
The length of the current SQL statement that triggers fine-grained audit or row-level security (RLS) policy functions or event handlers. You can specify this attribute only inside the event handler for the fine-grained auditing feature.
The database role using the SYS_CONTEXT function with the USERENV namespace. The role is one of the following: PRIMARY, PHYSICALSTANDBY, LOGICAL STANDBY, SNAPSHOT STANDBY.
For enterprise users: the Oracle Internet Directory DN.
For external users: the external identity (Kerberos principal name, Radius schema names, OS user name, Certificate DN).
For local users and SYSDBA/SYSOPER logins: NULL.
For a proxy with username: the Oracle Internet Directory DN if the client is an enterprise users; NULL if the client is a local database user.


While health insurance premiums may be going up across the nation, California seem to be getting more than its fair share of bad news. First, it was Anthem Blue Cross trying to raise rates up to 39 percent in the spring of 2010. While the health insurance company was initially informed that its paperwork contained errors, California residents weren't spared the pain when Anthem submitted a corrected double-digit rate filing.
Then, Blue Shield of California announced three health insurance rate hikes from October to March, which added up to a 59 percent increase in premiums for some policyholders.
Now, less than a year after its 2010 filing debacle, Anthem Blue Cross is making headlines again with yet another individual health plan premium increase. In addition to an average premium increase of 9.8 percent across all plans, the rate filing means a 20 percent hike in some out-of-pocket costs, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Anthem Blue Cross submitted its rate filing on Dec. 29. By filing before the new year, the health insurance company avoided a new state law that requires review by the California Department of Insurance of rate filings. Since Anthem's filing was in 2010, the insurance commissioner's powers are limited to notifying Anthem's customers of the company's plans.
On May 1, individual Anthem Blue Cross health plan policyholders can expect to see premiums increase and benefits decrease. Health insurance rate hikes range from a 3.3 percent average for CoreGuard individual health plans to 14.2 percent for subscribers of PPO Share, Right Plan and Premier policies. In an anomaly, Basic Hospital Plans will see 9.2 percent average premium reductions.
Actual health insurance rate changes depend upon such factors as geographic region and whether a policy is for an individual, couple or family. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, some policyholders with pre-existing conditions have received notification of 26 percent increases after experiencing hikes of more than 40 percent in the previous years.
While most will see benefits decrease, Basic Hospital, PPO Saver, ClearProtection, CoreGuard and Premier health plans members will avoid the added costs. More increases are expected in the future, according to Anthem Blue Cross. In its December rate filing, Anthem estimated individual health plan subscribers in all plans will see annual premium hikes of up to 17 percent from 2012 to 2025.


This Bob Evans' Copycat Sausage Gravy Recipe is just what you've been craving. Perfect for a warm serving of biscuits and gravy or just as a side to complement the comfort food at the table, this simple gravy recipe is spectacular. And no one does comfort food like Bob Evans'. This recipe is great because of how simple it is to make. The whole thing comes together in under 25 minutes, and the short list of ingredients lets the natural flavors do all of the work. Plus, this is a 4-ingredient gravy can be made with things that you probably already have lying around your kitchen. Make this gravy with some warm, soft biscuits for a delicious copycat breakfast that's perfect for a Saturday morning.
In a skillet, cook the sausage until it's browned.
Next add in the flour and stir into the juices from the meat until all of the flower is dissolved.
Add in the milk to the pan incrementally, mixing into the flour as you go.
Continue to cook and stir the mixture in the pan until it thickens. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste.
What do you order from Bob Evans'?
This gravy is perfect for breakfast or dinner! Heck, throw lunch in, too. It's divine and can be poured over anything.
Biscuits and gravy is my favorite guilty pleasure breakfast, and this gravy is just perfect for it! It has a simple flavor that's ideal with fluffy biscuits.


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text:
import Suit = require('./Suit');
import CardValue = require('./CardValue');

export = Card;

interface Card {
    id: string;
    suit: Suit;
    value: CardValue;
    position: {
        x: number;
        y: number;
    };
    rotation: number;
    zIndex: number;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Ratios and Caps: International developments in Remuneration
Executive Remuneration
Executive Remuneration, Governance
Globally there have been significant developments in the area of executive remuneration and corporate governance over the last few months. The following provides a brief overview of new initiatives.
The French government dropped plans to introduce say on pay rules, hoping that companies would work together to design voluntary guidelines.
This occurred, with French business lobbies adopting a new code recommending wider adoption of say on pay measures, restriction of sign on bonuses to executives entering the company from outside the group, restrictions on retirement and termination payments, a ban on hedging of share based incentives and new disclosure requirements.
A law was blocked in Germany's upper house that would have given shareholders a binding vote on executive pay policies. The legislation failed because a triumvirate of parties including the Social Democratic Party, the Greens Party and the Left Party, judged it to be insufficient to curb rising salaries. The SPD believed limiting the tax deductibility of executive salaries was a more appropriate measure.
The Netherlands is still planning to limit bank executive bonuses to 20% of fixed remuneration.
On 24th November, Swiss citizens will cast their vote on the 1:12 initiative, which would limit monthly executive pay to a maximum of what the company's lowest paid staff earn in a year. The government has reportedly urged voters to reject the proposal, saying it could hurt the attractiveness of Switzerland as a business destination.
Canadian organisations are currently digesting new rules requiring organisations listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange to either provide "majority voting" to appoint Directors or explain why they have not.
Canada otherwise operates on a plurality voting system, where shareholders either vote for a Director or withhold their vote. A Director only requires one vote to be elected. Majority voting requires Directors to receive a majority of the votes to be elected. There is some pressure for majority voting to be made compulsory.
The rules also require that individual Directors be elected annually, not staggered over a number of years.
Following the revelation that BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins was entitled to a $55 million golden parachute arising from a planned buyout, attention has also turned to CEO severance pay.
Due to the number of Canadian companies listed in the US, there is also speculation as to whether the CEO to median worker ratio will be implemented in Canada.
In tandem, Canada's Minister responsible for women's issues has been working with the Ontario Securities Commission on a comply or explain requirement for organisations to disclose goals for raising the number of women on Boards and in senior management.
The US SEC has approved a rule for public comment requiring US companies to disclose the ratio of CEO pay to median employee pay. The SEC has left open exactly how companies would calculate the median, but has said that they can take a statistically representative sample across the globe to come up with a figure.
All employees other than the CEO are to be considered, including full time, part time, seasonal, temporary and non-US employees. Companies could annualise part time workers' pay and annual workers who have not worked a whole year, but not seasonal workers' pay.
This rule was first mooted in 2010 with the Dodd Frank Act, but implementation had been delayed.
There are concerns that the inclusion of such a ratio will not provide additional understanding to shareholders but will create a mountain of compliance work – especially given varying remuneration arrangements globally.
It appears unlikely that this rule would be implemented until the 2015 proxy statements.
Activists have also been pushing for tax subsidies for executive pay to stop. A "Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act" has been introduced into the US Senate with two sponsors that would put a $1 million limit on compensation deductions for all current and former employees of an organisation. It would also eliminate current exceptions for performance based pay. Currently there is a $1 million limitation on deductions for CEO and three top paid executive's compensation, with exceptions provided for performance based pay.
The UK's binding shareholder vote on pay policy and single figure disclosure of executive pay came into effect from 1 October 2013. The binding vote occurs once every three years. There is also an annual advisory vote on actual executive pay, which if voted down forces pay policy to go back to the vote.
The UK is suing the EU Parliament and member states over the legislation passed this year to cut bank executives' bonuses to a maximum of one times fixed remuneration, or twice fixed remuneration with shareholder approval. The UK has been concerned that it could harm the competitiveness of the UK banking sector. In its case, the UK has said that the law goes against what is permitted in the EU treaty and raised potential data privacy problems with the legislation. Concerns were also aired that fixed remuneration would go up to compensate for lower bonuses, making banks riskier rather than safer.
There are worries that the UK's shares for rights scheme, which allows employees to give up employment rights for participation in a company share scheme that would then be exempt from capital gains tax, is being used by executives for tax avoidance. According to the Financial Times there was a very low level of interest for the scheme, but private equity firms are using it to pay their executives.
The UK's Financial Reporting Council is seeking feedback on three proposals it is considering to add into the UK Corporate Governance Code:
Instead of requiring companies to give consideration to the use of clawback provisions, it is proposing to require the use of clawback under a comply or explain regulation. It is also considering specifying circumstances under which payments should be recovered or withheld.
The Council is consulting on whether code changes are needed to discourage the appointment of Executive Directors to remuneration committees of other listed companies.
It is also consulting on greater disclosure of shareholder engagement in the case that a substantial majority vote is not achieved for the remuneration report.
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulatory Authority are also considering whether they should have the power to claw back bonuses of executives from companies the government is forced to bail out. There are concerns such actions may breach human rights laws.
India has changed its rules around remuneration and corporate governance in the newly approved Companies Act 2013. Amongst other things, it has:
Mandated the disclosure of a ratio of the remuneration of each Director relative to the remuneration of the median worker, similar to the proposed rule in the US
Required a third of the Board to be independent and clarified the definition of independence; and
Placed limits on loans to Directors.
Russia's intention to trim golden parachutes for executives of partially state-owned corporations led to draft legislation, which will likely be considered in November.
Although not a legislative development, a recently released remuneration survey is worthy of note. The New Zealand Institute of Directors released its 2013 Directors' Fees report in September together with dsd Consulting.
The report found that Non-Executive Director (NED) fees remained static over 2012, while Non-Executive Chairman fees increased by 1.4% for the year. The Institute's chief executive Dr William Whittaker stated that the restrained increases reflected a sense of caution in the market around remuneration.
This data stands in contrast to the Egan Associates August KMP report, which recorded median increases of 7% and 10% for Chairmen and Directors of New Zealand's top 50 companies respectively for the year to December 2012.
The marked difference is likely due to the sample taken. Egan Associates focused on reported fees for New Zealand's top 50 companies, while the Institute's survey represented a sample of 1,550 Directors from 991 organisations. This is a diverse sample of companies, which will be of varying size, complexity and at different stages of development. As can be seen in the report's infographic, the market capitalisation of companies in the sample ranged from less than NZ$5 million to more than NZ$1000 million.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Town where quality of life is a way of life. The Town of Strathmore is a community of over 12,000 people located 40 km east of Calgary with convenient access to the picturesque Bow River. While agricultural developments cover large areas of the surrounding area, Strathmore provides its residents with the benefits of country living, town services and easy access to large city facilities while residing in an area combining heritage and modern amenities.
Strathmore offers wide choices in restaurants, accommodations, hospitality, local wines and shopping. With direct access to the Trans Canada Highway, travelers have been welcomed to use facilities that have now developed into a thriving country town.


text:
Alabama Lottery and Racetrack Gaming Bill Is Defeated in the State Senate
By Cliff Spiller
May 28th, 2015 | Last updated on November 2nd, 2018
Home » Poker News » Alabama Lottery and Racetrack Gaming Bill Is Defeated in the State Senate
A gambling bill which would have legalize a state lottery and expanded dog track betting died in the State Senate on Thursday. The bill faced an uphill battle the entire time, because it needed unanimous approval from the Senate to be moved forward.
That leaves little time in the regular session for a new initiative towards more gambling to take players. Lawmakers on both sides of the debate appear to have moved on to other issues. Had the new gaming laws gone into effect, it would have placed an additional $400 million in the state's General Fund, which is facing a budget shortfall. Proponents said the bill would have created 11,000 new jobs and had an overall impact of $1.2 billion.
Del Marsh's Gaming Bill
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh had supported the bill in the hopes he could jumpstart the Alabama economy by adding 11,000 new jobs. Opponents of the bill vowed to fight it every step of the way, for fear expanded gambling would bring corruption and misery to the state.
Proponents of Del Marsh's proposal notes that all of the surrounding states have lottery gaming, while Mississippi has a firmly-established casino gambling industry. Thus, defeating Marsh's bill only perpetuates a status quo in which Alabama gamblers drive across state lines and put their money into other states' economies. Sen. Marsh's bill would have brought casino-style gambling to the dog tracks in Birmingham, Mobile, Greene County, and Macon County.
CBS 8 Reporter Talks to the People
Ashley Thompson, a reporter for Alabama News Net, went to a local convenience store to get reactions from Montegomery residents. She spoke with Frederick James, a local citizen, who said, "I think the lawmakers should let the people vote."
Ms. Thompsen said that was the prevalent attitude she got in her interviews with local residents. John Dijt, another resident, was quoted saying, "The state needs the money and if the money is used correctly, I'm all for a lottery. I sure am."
Preston Collins, another of those surveyed, said: "I think they're not worried about the education that it would provide for our kids."
More Reactions on the News
Donna Smith, a Tuskegee resident, said that her area of the state needed the economic boost, after the closing of Victoryland. Mrs. Smith said, "We need that lottery. I think we need it here. Macon County, Greyhound racing. I mean, it brought a lot of jobs, a lot of things here."
Darryl Smith, a native of New Jersey, said that Alabama could have followed a model other states had in funding the education system. Mr. Smith said, "In New Jersey, the lottery up there pays for free education for the kids, senior citizen programs, highways, roads."
Most of those who talked were more concerned that the gambling bill never received a fair hearing in the Alabama State Senate. Most would have preferred a statewide referendum on the state of gambling in Alabama. The idea that an obscure rule calling for unanimity killed the gambling bill was abhorrent to many.
Anti-Gambling Stance
Even had the bill received full consideration, the battle to enact a state lottery would have been difficult. Alabama is one of the five U.S. states without a lottery, marking it as one of the most anti-gambling states in the country. Two of the other states without a lottery–Utah and Hawaii–have a 100% ban on gambling.
In Alabama, a variety of interests were against the measure, from the social conservatives to the local gaming interests. Several faith-based groups proved instrumental in lobbying against the bill, much as they had the last time Alabama had considered a lottery in 1999.
Poarch Creek Indians Protected Monopoly
Robert McGhee, a spokesman for the Poarch Creek Band of Indians which owns three gaming facilities in Alabama, went before the State Senate to make a passionate appeal to defeat the bill. He told the Senators the plan to allow casino gambling at a minimum of 4 racetracks–and probably 7 of them–was "not good for the state of Alabama."
McGhee said the Poarch Creek Indians "have a better approach", which incidentally allows them to keep a virtual gambling monopoly in the state. That is one of the reasons many of Alabama's residents said the killing of the bill was "politics as usual", which was quoted in the Alabama Newsnet, which is affiliated with the Montgomery Channel 8 CBS News.
Never Had a Chance
In the end, the bill never had much chance of succeeding, due to the parliamentary approach to approval of the bill. Anyone familiar with US politics these past few years would know it would be hard to get a group of senators to agree on anything unanimously, much less a gaming bill in a traditionally conservative state.
About Cliff Spiller
Cliff Spiller has been an online writer for 14 years. He worked for Small World Marketing for a decade, where he covered topics like gaming, sports, movies, and how-to guides. Since 2014, he has blogged about US and international gambling news on BestOnlineCasinos.com, USPokerSites.com, and LegalUSPokerSites.com
View all posts by Cliff Spiller
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text:
Information on Resources for Black Business Women
Successful Women
Women in Business Basics
By Lahle Wolfe
New black-owned businesses were up 45 percent between 1997-2002. The 1.2 million black-owned businesses generated $88.8 billion in 2002. (U.S. Census Bureau)
Since 2002, black women continue to start and maintain successful businesses contributing significantly to the global economy - even though they often face tremendous challenges in doing so.
The following is a list of great resources and networks for women of color who are interested in business. Whether you are just starting out or already have a thriving business, networking and meeting other women is always a smart business decision.
8(a) Business Development Program
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images
8(a) Business Development Program is a program created to help small minority businesses compete in the marketplace and assist such companies in gaining access to federal and private procurement markets. The Mission: "To be responsive to the needs of small businesses seeking business development assistance."
Black Enterprise provides a wealth of information related to business, specifically consumer markets, and also maintains an online Franchise Center and other resources for African American entrepreneurs.
In addition to business information, Black Enterprise offers lifestyle, career information. They publish a magazine and have TV shows that address the needs and concerns of black. Black Enterprise even has apps for black entrepreneurs using the iPad.
Black Women Connect
Purpose: "Black Women Connect is an online community and social network for African American women who are career-driven and business savvy. Users connect for jobs, business building, professional networking, and girl talk."
The website is highly active and well-done. A must visit for black women interested in starting or growing a business.
Black Women Enterprises
Mission Statement: "The mission of BWE is to identify and remove the barriers that impede the success of black women business owners from participating in government and private sector procurement, promote equal access to capital, educate, advocate, reverse industry trends that foster business failure among black women business owners, serve as a referral resource, and serve as a clearinghouse for all information related to businesses owned by black women. Although BWE's core mission is to serve Black Women Business Owners, we do not discriminate. All are welcome to join."
National Black Chamber of Commerce
Purpose: The National Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activities within the United States.
National Minority Business Council (NMBC)
NMBC is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing business assistance, educational opportunities, seminars, purchasing exchanges, mentoring, business listings and related services.
SME Tool Kit for Black Business Owners
IBM and IFC created a free, small business toolkit specifically for women and minority entrepreneurs to provide business information, tools, and training services usually reserved for Fortune 1000 companies.
The Journal Network
African American business magazine dedicated to educating and empowering Black professionals and small business owners by providing news and commentary on issues that affect the growth of business and the advancement of professionals.
Learn How to Start, Grow, or Network Your Own Business in Hawaii
Hairstyles for Black Women in Business
A Surge in Hispanic Women's Business Growth and Resources to Help
Learn How Women Overcome the Challenges They Face in Business
Resources for Delaware Women in Business
Here's Where To Find Internship Opportunities for Students of Color
Where Women-Owned Businesses Can Find Microloans
How and Why to Gain Self-Certification for a Women-Owned Businesses
New Opportunities Still Means Too Few for WOBs in Construction
The Origins and Importance of American Business Women's Day
Are You Considered a Disadvantaged Small Business Owner?
Starting a New Business? You'll Need Local Licenses and Special Permits
Learn About Sales Associations and Organizations and What Suits You
10 Successful Business Women Who Overcame Their Challenges
Marketing and February's National Events
Thank You, NAWBO for Supporting Female Entrepreneurs


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^ "A New, 'Post-Racial' Political Era in America". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
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Kahn-Harris, Keith (28 Nov 2018). "'White supremacy' is really about white degeneracy". The Guardian.


If you're a pet owner you know how hard it is to keep the house clean. Especially if you're crazy enough to have THREE dogs. I've done the work for you and found the perfect vacuum to keep your home sparkly clean! It's the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser from P.C. Richard and Son! It literally erases the pet hair. I thought my rugs were kinda clean before I got the Bissell… I was wrong.
I wanted to tell you all about my experience with this vacuum because it can be a little intimidating to go into a store and see a bunch of vacuums. It's like picking out a pillow… they all kind of look the same right? Not only that but it can be an investment sometimes for a nice vacuum and you're not even sure if it works well yet. I found the perfect vacuum at P.C. Richard & Son for you fur parents.
The suction parts have a rubber piece that grips the hair out of rugs and fabric.
It has enhanced swivel design.
It has an allergen smart seal system with Febreze.
It vacuums edge to edge!
Heads up: I would consider this on the heavier side so if weight is something you're worried about you might want to look at another vacuum from P.C. Richard and Son. They have a lot of great options!
A once in a lifetime shot of my vacuuming without dogs biting my ankles. I think she might be impressed with the vacuum too.
The brush rolls are tangle free. Yup. I've had this vacuum for a little while now and haven't seen anything get caught yet. I used to have to razor or cut the hair out of my old vacuum. Gross!
Another thing I love about this vacuum are the little green pieces at the bottom. It doesn't look like a lot but it helps get the pet hair from against the wall. It gets the very edge of the walls / molding.
The handheld roller has one of the best features.. the rubber grip. The purple part is rubber and it really grabs the hair out. I loveeee using this on the sofa.
Let there be light! The LED lit crevice tool is great for cleaning the sofa too and under furniture.
This little dusting brush also has the rubber feature. I noticed that part is KEY to getting rid of pet hair out of fabrics and rugs.
You can use it on the regular floors too! It has a special setting. I also noticed when I vacuum the floors that it doesn't send stuff flying everywhere. My other vacuum would just blow all the dirt away in the opposite direction.
I even vacuum the pillows with this baby! It really gets the hair out of everything. It also helps cut back on the pilling on the sofa!
I hope this helped answer some questions and gives you a better idea of what kind of vacuum to get. If you're interested in seeing more vacuums at P.C. Richard and Son you can visit them in store or even more online! Have fun cleaning! JK I know that's not a thing.


"Shoreline" exudes a chill mood with repeating waves of soft hues. Horizontal lines, with soft edges, rush across this carrier in pinks, blues, browns, greens, and yellows creating a sophisticated, yet sweet design. "Shoreline" has the repeating design on the entire carrier, including the inner shell of the carrier and the detachable hood.


There was just no way around it. Saturday, July 2nd was going to be utterly destroyed. There was no chance. We. Killed. It.
Danimal Cannon was a beast live and we couldn't have ended the night any better. It was incredible to see Bit Shifter performing live in Houston. As good as his albums are, live was astonishingly better. Dual Core is always so much fun to see live and he always knows how to work up the crowd. We were also were very happy to see SIXIXIX on hand performing original music and music from the upcoming Radical Rebels game! Then of course we have our resident Lazybit Collective on hand providing visuals and even more music from Ten Pixels Tall, Float, Broken Satellite, and Overcrash. So. Much. Music.
We started the day with Squincy Jones laying down the soundtrack to our gaming expo and cosplay contests downstairs. We had amazing cosplayers that came out, in particular the Zelda cosplay (pics to come). Lots of Borderlands cosplay, all of them crazy good! I've listed all the games we had out before. A couple of people I definitely want to give thanks to is Invisible Collective for letting us demo Battlesloths, from Austin, and Viktor for some video of UnDungeon.
EXTRA special thanks to Don and Kaz of Team Starr Mazer: DSP for coming all the way down from Seattle to demo their game for us! Not only is that game crazy beautiful and fun to play, but those guys are amazingly nice and love what they do. They show it with everything they do. Those guys made RE:Play feel like a real gaming expo. I can not say enough nice things about them and what they are doing and creating.
There were plenty of other games and contests that went on, but you will have to wait for the next post for all the pretty pics of the evening. We put A LOT into this show and we got a lot out. I love doing RE:Play and it was created because it was something we wanted in Houston that just wasn't available here. This show proved that it is definitely wanted. It makes me proud to know that there is interest from more than just me and my friends. There is already talks of what to do next, and it's very exciting!
Thank you guys for all the support and the kind words about the show.
Posted on July 10, 2016 by Cresendo Sotuyo.


text:
Hot Potala
DOMESTIC PROTESTS AND INTERNATIONAL CONCERN CONTINUE, BUT BEIJING IS STRICTLY CONTROLLING TIBETAN RELIGIOUS "FREEDOM"
by John Gittings
The Guardian, as published in The Age, Melbourne 26 Oct 2002
It is early morning outside the Potala Palace, the former home of the Dalai Lama, pilgrims from all over Tibet have begun the sacred circuit --and the Chinese flag is flying in the breeze. Nomads with sunburnt fares as dark as their cloaks, Khampa ex-warriors with red tassels in their hair, farmers with leggings, their wives with striped aprons, plus ordinary folk from the city, old and young, walk briskly in the grey dawn. Many twirl their prayer wheels, some prostrate themselves on mats, and one or two even drive a sheep before them around the circuit. The lucky animal is then allowed to live to the end of its natural days.
It is an advertisement of sorts for the religious freedom that China says is fully allowed in Tibet. "How can the foreign press accuse us of suppressing religion,'asks an official, "when you can see it in the streets?" The Potala receives an average of 800 pilgrims a day. It works out at about a 10th of the entire Tibetan population every year. However, the Chinese flag flying boldly - provocatively, even - in front of the Potala is a reminder that this is freedom with limits. The vast stretch of paved space behind it has been built since I was last in Lhasa. With its flag-pole and ornamental lights, it is a miniature Tiananmen Square exported to Tibet.
A Chinese official confirms for the first time unofficial reports that in August 1999 the flag was targeted by a pro-independence Tibetan activist. "Of course the Dalai (Lama) clique is trying to obstruct the modernisation of Tibet,' exclaims the region's planning director, Wang Dianyuan. "Didn't they try to blow up the flagpole two years ago?" The 'clique' is also blamed for earlier explosions at the gate of a government headquarters in Lhasa, and outside the home of a senior pro-Beijing official.
Virtually all Tibetans in the region or abroad who call for independence accept the supreme authority of the Dalai Lama, who has condemned any violence. However, there is a radical minority in favour of stronger action.
Another official admits that large numbers of Tibetans still support the Dalai Lama. "That many people believe in the Dalai Lama is well known,'says Tu Deng, the Tibetan head of the religious affairs committee that enforces government policy. "Our main task is to help people understand his real character." Mr Tu describes the Dalai Lama as "a splittist and an enemy of China" whose picture is therefore banned in public places. This has created a bizarre situation in which the Chinese admit that the Dalai Lama is still the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism but have airbrushed him out of the picture.
After performing the sacred circuit, the pilgrims file through the Potala home of successive Dalai Lamas since the 17th century, in the prescribed clockwise circuit. Foreigners and Chinese tourists are conducted rudely against the flow in an uneasy mix. with one group admitted in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
In front of the most holy chapel in the Potala, a nomad from the plateau hands her tiny baby wrapped in a sheepskin to an older child, and prostrates herself on the floor. A smartly dressed young lady from Lhasa lies down alongside. Both then climb a wooden ladder to touch their foreheads against the statue of Arya Lokeshvara dating from the seventh century.
A party of Chinese tourists clamber up noisily behind, one of them leans against the shrine and takes a call on his mobile. "Some monks in the monasteries tell us this is just a performance for the tourists," says another foreigner who travelled widely without an official guide. It is generally assumed that some monks are spying for the authorities.
It is not as simple as that. On the roof of the Lhasa's Jokhang temple, Tibet's most sacred site, groups of monks are disputing theology with an enthusiasm that can hardly be feigned. Two seated monks question a third who stands before them, clapping his hands in triumphant emphasis when he concludes a point.
Nowhere else in the People Republic of China does Beijing have to cope with a population so overwhelmingly attached to a non-communist ideology, and the monasteries are the focus for this central contradiction in Chinese rule. Tibet's religious character has survived a decade of persecution during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) when almost every monastery was destroyed by Red Guard factions among the Chinese and a much smaller number of radical Tibetans.
I am given official figures claiming that before the 1959 rebellion when the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, there were 110,000 monks and nuns living in some 2000 monasteries across the region. Now there are said to be 47,500 monks and nuns in 1700 religious establishments which have been rebuilt with Chinese state funds and offerings by local communities. The figures are unreliable. An earlier Chinese version puts the original figure of monasteries at 2700. Exiles claim there were thousands more before the mass destruction which began after the 1959 rebellion and culminated in the Cultural Revolution (1966-68).
The number of monks is lower now because in the past, officials explain, under the Dalai Lama's "feudal rule", families were forced to send sons to the monasteries. There is also a ban on admitting people of 15 or under to become acolytes because they should be "receiving normal education". Like all officials interviewed, Mr Tu often speaks in set formulas as if from a manual. "Through 'patriotic education' the monks have learned 'what is not allowed' and 'what is illegal'," he tells me. Asked for clarification, he explains that monks teaching children is "not allowed". Monks demonstrating with pro-independence slogans is "illegal". Mr Tu dismisses stories of brutality and torture.'A person is responsible for his own law-breaking, " he says calmly. "Our responsibility is to look after the great majority of (law-abiding) lamas."
The London-based Tibet information Network says it knows of at least 210 monks and nuns still in jail for taking part in peaceful demonstrations over the past decade. Merely to shout a pro-independence slogan may earn a sentence of eight years. There are frequent stories - routinely denied by Beijing - of inmates being beaten.
Life seems more relaxed in Lhasa than during my last visit in 1994 when memories were fresh of pro-independence marches and the 1989 imposition of martial law. The Chinese military maintains a low pro-file, although Lhasa houses the massive headquarters of half a dozen different commands- from border guards to riot troops.
In the square before the Jokhang temple, where monks and nuns once marched, two bored policemen sit on chairs barking through a loudspeaker at anyone who pauses for too long. A Beijing magazine this month has repeated the standard line that the Dalai Lama can "return to the embrace of the motherland if he gives up his independence demand". But asked if the Dalai will ever return, Mr Tu replies contemptuously that "he has now sunk in the mud too deep to renounce all he has done in the past".
The Dalai Lama's nuanced proposals, made over the past 15 years, for Tibet to enjoy something short of independence are dismissed as insincere. His recent illness has also raised questions about the future in the event of his death. China would undoubtedly seek to control the choice of his next "reincarnation", as they did in 1995 after the death of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second spiritual leader.
The new boy Panchen is now being educated in Beijing "in religious studies and science", it is said in Lhasa. He is being groomed to play a political role which could one day supplant the paramount status of the Dalal Lama. Yet official statements have made it clear that the dominance of Buddhism in Tibet, however tightly controlled, is seen as a continuing threat to Chinese-led "stability". And that threat will only diminish if the economy of Tibet - still the poorest region of China - can be transformed.
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HomeBusinessBOB will require further investment, partners
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BOB will require further investment, partners
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest, the government is pleased with the progress being made at Bank of The Bahamas (BOB). FILE
Chester Robards
Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) will require further investment and the government is looking for partners to make that commitment, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said yesterday, adding that the bank's management team has done a good job turning it back towards profitability.
He contended that the bank could have posted larger income numbers "albeit for a case or claim against the bank".
"They would have had a bigger profit," he said. "We expect that case to be set aside."
Turnquest, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants' Accountants Month seminar, stressed that the government is pleased with the progress being made at BOB.
BOB continues to show positive growth and financial stability after recording a net income of $500,000 in its first quarter ending September 30, 2019.
Senior Managing Director Kenrick Brathwaite said in his overview of the bank's first quarter financial performance that it continues to work toward sustainable profitability after five consecutive years of losses.
The bank made the positive turn in 2018 and continued the trend into 2019.
"After five years of consecutive net losses, the bank returned to profitability during its fiscal year 2018. This continued in fiscal year 2019 and during this current fiscal year 2020, the bank recorded net income of $0.5 million for the first quarter ended September 30, 2019," said Brathwaite.
"Our focus remains providing more sustainable growth opportunities to ensure the bank's success over the long term and to build a brand that restores trust, empowers customers and promotes responsible banking."
BOB continues to collect interest payments from Bahamas Resolve Limited, which holds a $167.7 million promissory note for toxic loans taken off of Bank of The Bahamas' books.
"The notes bear fixed interest at 3.5 percent, payable semi-annually on February 28 and August 31, commencing in August 2018," the bank's financial statements explain.
"The bank received the semi-annual interest payment of $2.9 million in September 2019. Accrued interest receivable as at September 30, 2019 amounted to $489,125."
Senior Business Reporter at The Nassau Guardian
Chester Robards rejoined The Nassau Guardian in November 2017 as a senior business reporter. He has covered myriad topics and events for The Nassau Guardian.
Education: Florida International University, BS in Journalism
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AB 1720 (Wagner) - Common interest developments: meetings.
AB 2031 (Bonta) - Local government: affordable housing: financing.
AB 2176 (Campos) - Shelter crisis: declaration: public facilities.
AB 2351 (Roger Hernández) - Mobilehome parks: rent control.
AB 2406 (Thurmond) - Housing: junior accessory dwelling units.
AB 2492 (Alejo) - Community revitalization.
AB 2502 (Mullin) - Land use: zoning regulations.
AB 2842 (Thurmond) - Workforce Housing Tax Credit Pilot: property taxes: income taxes: insurance taxes: credits: low-income housing: sale of credit.
AB 1736 (Steinorth) -Personal income taxes: deduction: homeownership savings accounts.
AB 1968 (Steinorth) - Greenhouse gases: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.
AB 1969 (Steinorth) - Affordable housing: home purchase assistance.
AB 2280 (Ridley-Thomas) - California Housing Finance Agency: program eligibility requirements: changes.
AB 2282 (Calderon) - Rental housing: large-scale buy-to-rent investors: data collection.
AB 2388 (Gipson) - Local government: housing: ownership.
AB 2441 (Thurmond) -Housing: Workforce Housing in High-Cost Areas Pilot Program.
AB 2584 (Daly) - Land use: housing development.
AB 2783 (Eduardo Garcia) - Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.
AB 1934 (Santiago) - Planning and zoning: density bonuses: mixed-use projects.
AB 2200 (Thurmond) - School Employee Housing Assistance Grant Program.
AB 2208 (Santiago) - Local planning: housing element: inventory of land for residential development.
AB 2299 (Bloom) - Land use: housing: 2nd units.
AB 2319 (Gordon) - California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.
AB 2442 (Holden) - Density bonuses.
AB 2475 (Gordon) - Loan program: California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.
AB 2500 (Daly) - Land use: regional housing need.
AB 2501 (Bloom) - Housing: density bonuses.
AB 2522 (Bloom) - Land use: attached housing developments.
AB 2685 (Lopez) - Housing elements: adoption.
AB 2697 (Bonilla) - Redevelopment dissolution: successor agencies: disposal of assets and properties.
AB 2821 (Chiu) - Medi-Cal Housing Program.
AB 1920 (Chau) - California Tax Credit Allocation Committee: low-income housing credit: fines.
AB 2140 (Roger Hernández) - Income taxes: insurance tax: credits: low-income housing: farmworker housing assistance.
AB 2734 (Atkins) - Local Control Affordable Housing Act.
AB 2817 (Chiu) - Taxes: credits: low-income housing: allocation increase.


Welcome to Valhall Siberian Husky kennel's website!
The kennel was founded in 1996, when we bought our first SH. Two years later, in 1998, we had our first litter. There were 5 puppies in that litter, and we decided to keep 4 of them. In 2001 we decided to buy another puppy, and now there were suddenly 6 dogs in the team.
From that stage, the amount of dogs escalated quickly. In total we have been having 7 litters, and we have also imported dogs from Norway and Sweden.
Today the kennel counts 13 dogs. The perfect amount for us is about 12-16 dogs. The reason for that is to be able to go on long trips in the beatiful mountains that surrounds us. We are training in Norway and Sweden, and one of the most anticipated places is Storlien.
Apart from that, competition in different races is also a part of our kennel. Every year, we are competing in 2-3 races. This makes it even funnier to train our dogs, and we really like the opportunity to join different races.
That was the basic info about our kennel. If you want to know more about the dogs and our work, feel free to leave a comment or contact me on e-mail.


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Головна | Публікації | Статті | Investment in Poland – why is it still an attractive market in 2021?
Poland is a great destination for investment and business development, as confirmed by huge number of studies internal and external. The latest Global Best to Invest ranking (2019) indicates that Poland is in fifth place, after China, Germany, GB and India. The Financial Times report shows similar results, namely that Poland also ranks fifth in terms of the value of new investments.
94% of foreign investors would invest in Poland again
According to the 12th edition of the Investment climate survey carried out by Grant Thornton, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and HSBC – the decision to invest again would be made by 94% of investors.
Innovation support
Poland is a great place for innovational entrepreneurs, taking into account the vast range of acceleration, scale-up programs for start-ups, grants and so on. Special attention is dedicated to start-ups located in the eastern part of the country, where programs are more beneficial as this part of country is less developed than western regions. Moreover, Poland is interested in internationalization of SMES, where micro-, small or medium-sized enterprises operating in eastern Poland may receive support for placing their products or services on new markets. The funding covers services to analyze a company's export opportunities, select target markets and develop a business model of internationalization (market entry concept). Activities leading to the implementation of this model are also supported under this program.
Substantial support and trust of EU institutions
Overall, EU leaders agreed a EUR 750 billion reconstruction fund (EUR 390 billion in grants and EUR 360 billion in low-cost loans) for the next three to four years and EUR 1,074 billion in a seven-year budget for 2021-27 (2018 prices)). Out of this entire financial package Poland will receive a total of EUR 125 billion in subsidies and EUR 34 billion in cheap loans from the reconstruction fund. Since 2004 the Polish budget has already received 181 billion from EU funds.
-Huge internal market
Poland is one of the largest member states of the EU. It is also the 6th most populous country of the EU, and the largest market in the Central and Eastern Europe region. The Polish market is significantly more competitive than other regional markets. Here, in the very heart of Europe, entrepreneurs can set up business and not only sell goods in Poland but also obtain comprehensive export opportunities.
Well-educated employees
One of the key features of Poland's labor market is its solid candidates' role. This is partly attributed to the low unemployment rate, which was around for a while, and which at the end of September 2019 was 5.1%, as reported by the Polish National Office Statistics. The increase of the average gross over most of 2019 wages oscillated in the corporate sector.
As was highlighted by Ukrainian business community representatives, the Polish authorities work transparently and that is seen as a huge advantage in comparison to the situation present in most cases in Ukraine. The Office for Foreigners and Ukrainian-Polish Border remain continuously exceptionally bureaucratic.
Substantial support to entrepreneurs during COVID-19
In March 2020, the Polish government unveiled a stimulus package of PLN 212 billion (EUR 47 billion), equivalent to 9.2% of the country's GDP, to support the impact of COVID-19. In May the labor department announced how much funds went to companies under the so-called anti-crisis shield. At that time, the total was PLN 9.76 billion.
So far:
companies were granted 611,802 thousand micro loans for a total amount of nearly PLN 3.05 billion;
over PLN 3.09 billion was allocated to job protection from the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund;
In addition, ZUS paid 627,984 thousand benefits for the self-employed and contractors to the tune of over PLN 1.2 billion.
As was mentioned by Vasyl Rakivnenko Co-Owner and CEO of SERVIRED Sp. z o.o. (Ukrainian-owned transportation company listed in Diamonds Forbes Poland): "I might add that the criteria were spelt out very transparently, decisions were issued within 2 days and 2 days later the funds were on the firm's account. The filing procedure itself was online and through banks (submitted and received through banks). Moreover, companies with foreign owners and boards also received support under Polish anti-crisis shield under the same criteria as any other Polish company".
Also, as was emphasized by Vasyl Rakivnenko, thanks to it is geographic position, for many entrepreneurs from CIS/ex-CIS countries have regarded Poland a "window to Europe", and for European ones it is a window to Eastern Europe (CIS countries).
Housing real estate prices
The Polish housing market remains stable, but the outlook is not that shiny. According to Fitch Ratings, the Polish economy will contract by 0.6% this year, a downward revision from that forecast of 1.8% growth, due to COVID. Standard Chartered Bank is a bit more pessimistic, forecasting a contraction of 1.7% this year.
According to Global Property Guide, Warsaw has Poland's most expensive housing, with an average transaction price for existing homes of PLN 9,301 (EUR 2,052) per sq. m. in 2019, according to NBP. Housing is also expensive in Gdańsk, with an average price of PLN 8,268 (EUR 1,824) per sq. m., Kraków with PLN 7,414 (EUR 1,635) per sq. m., Gdynia with PLN 7,384 (EUR 1,629) per sq. m., and Wrocław with PLN 7,316 (EUR 1,614) per sq. m.
Foreigners can freely buy residential apartments in Poland. Land for commercial purposes can be freely bought by citizens of the European Economic Area (EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway).
According to Strefa Biznesu "In recent years, a trend that is clearly visible in the reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration increase in investments by citizens and companies from Ukraine. In 2013, they bought flats with a total area of 18,500 square metres, similar to Britons, and the combined purchases of both nations were smaller than those of the Germans. In the following years, these proportions were turned upside down. In 2015 Ukrainians almost caught up with the Germans, and in 2017 they bought 24% more than the Germans and the British combined, while accounting for almost a quarter of all housing purchases made by foreigners".
Another feature that helps substantially in the purchase of real estate is affordable loans for 30 years that gives opportunity to purchase apartments quite comfortably.
Commercial real estate prices
The value of investment transactions on the commercial real estate market in Poland was EUR 2.92 billion in the first half of 2020, nearly 5% more than in the corresponding period of 2019, the consulting company Savills has reported.
According to their forecasts, the impact of the pandemic will be visible in the second half of the year, but the full-year investment volume should not be lower than last year's figures by more than 20%.
"In the first half of 2020, most investments were made in office real estate (EUR 1.33 billion, a fall of 20% year-on-year), followed by warehouse and industrial properties (EUR 1.15 billion, an increase of almost 155% year-on-year)," states the press release published by Savills.
Estonian CIT should come in force in 2021 into corporate income tax regulations, thereby making the tax system even more pro-investment. The new regulations will be of great benefit to companies, but they also have some restrictions. The draft came from the Ministry of Finance and they published the amendment to the Corporate Income Tax Act. The main aim is to stimulate companies to increase fixed assets, employment and to stimulate companies to make new investments.
According to the Ministry of Finance around 200,000 Polish companies will benefit from this solution, but there are conditions to be met in order to benefit from such a solution.
Political outlook
The Law and Justice Party (PiS) remains the most popular political party in Poland as their candidate Andrzej Duda won the presidential elections in May 2015, won them again in June 2020 and the PiS party won the majority of seats in November 2015 and retained its majority in the Sejm, but lost its majority in the Senate to the opposition. The next elections are expected in over 3 years time, which are expected to bring stability to the Polish political arena in the near future.
Support of Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Poland
Moreover, in order to assist with adaptation of Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Poland and getting support when entering the EU market, the Ukrainian Business Association in Poland was created here. It represents over 50 companies that operate in various sectors of the economy: IT, service industry, agriculture, transportation, goods manufacturing, metal processing, packaging, construction, retail, etc. The main goals of establishing the Association were:
lobbying the interests of Ukrainian business in Poland;
protecting business interests at state level in Poland and Ukraine;
the sharing of information between top managers and business owners.
Another interest of the Ukrainian Business Association in Poland is generating new entrepreneurial opportunities and building friendly ties between business representatives of the two neighboring states. An annual forum like Polish-Ukrainian Business Day, which is usually held in Warsaw or Kyiv, exist as a platform for developing such relations.
One more activity present in the Association are monthly networking events, where invited entrepreneurs and representatives of global corporations meet in order to exchange experience and good practices.
Re-emigration to Poland
According to a McKinsey report, within the past decade 1.5 million Poles emigrated to other EU nations. One million more departed some time before Poland became a EU member state. In unison these two groups include up to 2.5 million Poles living overseas, most of whom work. Most of them currently live in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ireland but retain solid links with Poland. The key reason they left Poland was for employment and higher pay. Their return is profoundly subordinated to the belief that their future will be secure in Poland, and interesting job opportunities already await them. The extra impulse for their return is in the form of a higher living standard than they could enjoy abroad. This implies way better formal childcare and healthcare frameworks and a common arrangement with social security systems in EU states. This means that Poland is already treated by Poles who emigrated as an interesting destination to come back with new experience, technologies, know-how and financial opportunities.
Andrii Romanchuk is a partner at EUCON Legal Group (Poland)
Source: The Ukrainian Journal of Business Law
Андрій Романчук
Партнер, адвокат
Керівник практики фінансових інструментів та проектного інвестування
Керівники практики протидії фінансовому шахрайству і корупції, форензік розслідуванням
Керівник практики Комплаєнс
Категорії публікацій
Мінфін оновив Узагальнюючу податкову консультацію щодо оподаткування доходів фізичних осіб при ліквідації контрольованих іноземних компаній 11.01.2022
На вебпорталі ДПС розміщено Рекомендований (невиключний) перелік джерел інформації для отримання котирувальних цін для цілей звітного 2022 року 04.01.2022
ДПСУ оприлюднила план-графік перевірок на 2022 рік 28.12.2021
Ненадання первинних документів під час податкової перевірки позбавляє платника податків права посилатися на такі документи у подальшому 28.12.2021
З 01 січня 2022 року наберуть чинності спеціальні умови оподаткування резидентів «Дія Сіті» 21.12.2021
Тільки цінна інформація
вул. Яна Дантишка 18,
Варшава, 02-054
вул. Дмитрівська, 18/24,
Київ, 01054


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Home > World > South America > Belize > La Milpa, Belize
La Milpa, Belize
Belize, Features, Issue 1
1st Milennium AD
Almost exactly sixty five years ago, on March 30th, 1938, the noted Maya archaeologist J. Eric S. Thompson arrived at a jungle-shrouded ruin in the far northwest of British Honduras, a Crown Colony on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, bordering on Mexico and Guatemala. The site had been reported by a chiclero – a chewing-gum collector who tapped the sapodilla trees scattered through the rainforest – and reputedly had at least fourteen carved stelae. These monuments, which we now know were dedicated by Classic Maya kings on important occasions, bear inscriptions in Maya hieroglyphic script recording dynastic history, usually with a date in the Maya Long Count which enables the monument to be correlated with a precise date in our own calendar; most stelae were dedicated between A.D. 300 and 900.
Thompson named the ruin 'La Milpa', 'the cornfield', because the nearest chiclero camp a few miles away had a small milpa to supply the men with fresh maize during their months of seeking mature sapodilla trees to bleed for their latex. His field notes include a rapid sketch-plan of what we now call the Great Plaza, or Plaza A, marking the locations of twelve stelae. Thompson recorded glyphs on several of them, but most were eroded: only one monument, Stela 7, had a readable hieroglyphic date, 9.17.10.0.0 12 Ahau 8 Pax in the Maya Long Count, the equivalent of November 28th, A.D. 780. Several others were similar in style, and it seemed clear that the rulers of La Milpa had flourished during at least the late eighth and early ninth centuries.
He thought that La Milpa was not important enough, either in size or in monuments, to be worth the considerable cost of mounting a proper exploration deep into the forest, and after only two days, during which he had to contend with intestinal problems brought on by the bad water in the local aguada, Thompson left. It was his last exploration of an unknown Maya site: for the remaining almost four decades of his life he worked on deciphering Maya glyphs, and integrating ethnohistoric and ethnographic knowledge of the historic Maya with what could be elucidated about their prehispanic forebears.
La Milpa remained uninvestigated until the late 1980s, when a new road was pushed through the forest, from the Mennonite settlement of Blue Creek south to the old chiclero camp at Gallon Jug, which was being reopened and cleared for agriculture. By this time British Honduras had become Belize, and Belize's Archaeological Commissioner was told of looting in the region, and reports of large-scale marijuana growing. Both turned out to be true. Shortly afterwards, a large area of land was bought by Programme for Belize (PfB), an environmental non-profit group founded by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and by Belizeans concerned about the shrinking rainforest habitat in Central America and the decline in animal and bird species. PfB found that their third of a million acres of forest included this large Maya city (it later turned out that there were dozens of other sites, some not that much smaller: these are being studied by our colleagues from the University of Texas, under Professor Fred Valdez, Jr.): they commissioned a report, and Boston University was brought in.
We proposed to start with a mapping programme using an EDMI (electronic distance measuring instrument); first we would investigate the central square kilometre and then we would do two long narrow transects to the east and the south to find out the extent of the city. A series of randomly-positioned Survey Blocks would give us a statistically-robust sample of terrain and settlement pattern against which to match the other evidence. We would also carry out excavations in both core and periphery to build up a community history, and to see how far some of the central buildings could be restored for tourism.
All of this had to be done under one major constraint: La Milpa lay in a biological reserve, and we could not clear-cut forest to uncover buildings or even to create the long lines of sight that our transects needed. Undergrowth such as vines and the myriad other plants – most with sharp spines or other unpleasant protective features – that grew at ground level could be cleared, but for any tree more than six inches in diameter at chest height we had to obtain per-tree permission from PfB's rangers. This also meant that we could not strip soil and debris from the mounds to ascertain their original form and assess how far they could be restored. However, we had an alternative avenue of approach.
Looters had attacked La Milpa thoroughly in 1979-81, digging large trenches into virtually every large structure in the site core and many in the surrounding settlement in search of tombs: over the past quarter century Maya polychrome vases and carved jades have become fashionable among collectors of Pre-Columbian art and museums (such as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, which has a substantial collection of such 'unprovenanced' objects, including at least one polychrome vessel likely to be from La Milpa), and the high prices fetched – sometimes in the millions of dollars – have underwritten further looting.
We took as one of our basic tactics the cleaning and recording of such looters' trenches, which gave us cross-sections through the architecture of numerous buildings and enabled us to date them.
The Ceremonial Centre
What did a Maya city really look like? At the heart of every great Maya city is the 'ceremonial centre' with a central plaza surrounded by the huge steep pyramids. At La Milpa the Great Plaza is set on a hill-top and was huge – large enough to hold two football matches, and surrounded by four huge pyramids, emerging from the jungle. By following the looters' trenches, we were able to carry out two major excavations at two corners of the largest of them, Pyramid 1. At the southern corner a complete temple was excavated which had been covered by the deposits eroded from the pyramid after it had been abandoned. It is fronted by Stela 7 which is the only dated stela, dating to November 28th, AD 780. The stela is set into a plaster floor which runs under Temple 5 so that it provides the date before which the temple was constructed.
The excitement came however, near the northwest corner of the pyramid where an untouched royal tomb was discovered. We stumbled upon this by accident when we were looking for the (non-existent) setting for the recumbent Stela 1, late in the 1993 season. We hit a deposit with alternating layers of limestone slabs and chert flakes: such deposits were commonly used in the ceremonial closing of the shafts of noble or royal tombs. With no time to investigate, we refilled the excavation and reopened it in 1996.
The deposit, including nearly 17,000 chert flakes, did indeed fill a shaft cut down into bedrock, where a rough stone corbel vault within the small chamber protected a single burial. Julie and Frank Saul identified him as a man of 35-50, who had lost all his teeth long before death, and who had a permanent neck injury that could have been caused in battle, or by playing the ball game. His grave goods were odd and few, given the elaboration of his tomb. There was only one 'royal' object: across the chest of the corpse had been laid a splendid collar of carved and colourmatched jade beads, with a pendant in the form of a vulture head. The Maya used such a head in their hieroglyphic script as a synonym for ahaw, 'lord, ruler': this surely indicates that he was in fact, a king.
However he was not given a normal royal burial. The closed-up shaft had not been marked with any mound or monument – which is why it had escaped the looters. The grave assemblage is poor, suggesting a hurried burial, although observing the rites appropriate to a man of pedigree. The date too is a problem: an AMS (small sample radiocarbon) date on collagen from the skeleton suggests death as early as A.D. 220-350, but the style of the pottery vessels is at least a century later. The unmarked grave would accord better with an even later date, in the later fifth century. This was a time when La Milpa was in temporary decline: could it be that that the burial was indeed of a king, but one who had come to a sticky end, and was thus given this hurried and unmarked burial?
The royal palace was part of the ceremonial centre, but lay some distance to the south of the Great Plaza, connected to it by a raised causeway, known as a sacbe. The palace was a complex of courtyards raised above a smaller plaza which we named Plaza C. A robbers' trench had gone through the centre of the throne room, and we were able to recognise part of the throne, with its elaborate polychrome frontage.
More exciting, perhaps, were two smaller palaces, one to the east, one to the west, which may have been the places where the ruler actually lived. Both appeared to have the essential characteristics of a palace, an audience courtyard and a throne room, with an adjacent domestic area. In the western palace the throne was a substantial structure, three metres wide and two metres deep, large enough to accommodate the whole royal family, as indeed some the well known Bonampak murals suggest. It was, however, a deceptively economical construction: instead of being made from slabs of stone, it was built of rubble, plastered over and then painted. In the Western Palace the front was painted in a deep red, but in the East Palace as well as the main palace the front had a polychrome decoration with imitation legs painted in low relief.
One of the most remarkable discoveries at La Milpa was that we were able to work out something of the cosmological layout of the whole site. Gair Tourtellot directed a meticulous survey of the site periphery. The expedition surveyed two long transects, each 200m wide, one stretching 6 km to the east to beyond the limits of the settlement, and a shorter transect running 4 km to the south (see map overleaf). A notable discovery was in the east transect, where another plaza was discovered, called La Milpa East. Here the hilltop had been flattened to form a plaza large enough to have held 5,000 people. It is the third largest on the whole site, bigger indeed than Plaza C at the base of the palace acropolis. On three sides there were long narrow multi-room structures, while on the fourth there was a small pyramid. There was also a stela – the only one to be found outside the ceremonial precinct. Accurate survey and viewshed analysis revealed that if the jungle had been cleared away, the pyramid and stela would have been due east of and inter-visible with Temple 1 on the Great Plaza. Was this significant?
Mapping of the south transect had by this time already extended out 3.5 kilometres from the centre, where to our surprise and delight a similar 'minor centre' was discovered, again on a hilltop, again intervisible with Temple 1. The axes from Temple 1 on the Great Plaza to La Milpa East and La Milpa South are precisely 90 degrees apart, and almost exactly oriented to the true (rather than the magnetic) cardinal points. Were there similar centres waiting to be discovered to the north and west and if so, did they form a cardinally aligned cosmogram?
The following season (in 2000) we returned, this time equipped with GPS systems, so that we could navigate by satellite in the rainforest. Searching due west along logging roads, at 3.5 kilometres out, atop a hill we found what we were looking for, another minor centre on a hilltop within a few metres of the predicted location. The marvellous confirming feature was the seven metres tall pyramid on the west side of the plaza: it faced directly east to La Milpa Centre, and mirrored the pattern of La Milpa East.
Would there be a similar site at La Milpa North? It took only two days of searching to find what we were looking for, again close to the predicted location. This time however, it was rather different. There was no temple, no plaza, but instead a line of hilltop courtyards, the signature of a Maya palace with residential as well as ritual functions.
Is there some grand cosmological function here, with a cruciform cosmogram? The East and the West Plaza mirror each other: the sun rises in the east, then passes over the site core at zenith before descending though La Milpa West to the hidden underworld and through it to rise again in the east next day. This vertical-circle model was flipped on it side by the Maya, who used the north as a proxy for the zenith, and south for the underworld. In La Milpa's four cardinal, equidistant and intervisible minor centres, Maya cosmology is revealed.
Where did the people actually live?
Spectacular though the central area may have been, it was also the centre of a huge sprawling town, which spread over 78 square kilometres, and may have contained up to 50,000 inhabitants at its height. Maya cities were quite unlike Near Eastern or Mediterranean towns. It was a 'garden city': instead of the houses being densely packed together, they are spread out in little farmsteads scattered over the countryside, each surrounded by its gardens and orchards. Mostly they survive only as house platforms, but some are arranged round a courtyard, sometimes even a double courtyard. They are surrounded by terraces, stony berms, and piles of rocks that make up the gardens, with property walls dividing one family from another. Mostly they were low-lying, on land that was more easily cultivated. On the hillocks were more substantial structures which were presumably the dwellings of the local élite, centres for management and control.
What was the date of La Milpa? Perhaps surprisingly, it appears that the great city itself was comparatively short-lived, lasting only a couple of centuries, from around A.D. 700 to its sudden collapse round A.D. 840. However the central core was much earlier. It proved to have been first settled around 400-300 B.C., as a hilltop settlement on the high ridgetop that underlies the Great Plaza: a dense layer of trash from this Late Preclassic period was found at the base of almost all our probes, dimishing when we moved outside this area to scattered sherds. The first La Milpa seems to have been a small village, one of several in the vicinity judging by the occurrence of Late Preclassic trash identified by Kerry Sagebiel at several locations in the settlement zone.
However, in the Early Classic period (A.D. 250 to 600) the first ceremonial buildings began to appear on the eastern side of the Great Plaza, low platforms of cut soft limestone blocks covered with plaster. Temple 5, which is the small building at the corner of the great Pyramid, Temple 1, was one of these, with a line of cache vessels dedicated in front of it and buried by a new plaza floor. An equally early building probably underlay the northern end of the huge Structure 3 pyramid.
The carved stelae also appear to have fallen into two groups – early and late – and several were dedicated to the rulers of this Early Classic period, though apart from Stela 10, none remained complete and in situ. While only the later Stela 7 has a legible text, our epigrapher, Dr. Nikolai Grube (University of Bonn), considers Stelae 1 and 16 to date between A.D. 317 and 514 (8.14.0.0.0 and 9.4.0.0.0 in the Maya Long Count), and Stela 15 probably lies within this span.
But what happened between the Early Classic period (A.D. 250-600) and the middle of the Late Classic period (A.D. 700-840)? Very little pottery of the sixth and seventh centuries has been found at La Milpa, suggesting that it may have been almost completely abandoned at this time: was this linked with the long-lasting struggle between Tikal and Calakmul, which ran from the middle of the sixth to the end of the seventh century? The very strange 'royal' tomb, described above, may belong to this period. Tikal's victory in A.D. 695 was followed by a rapid resurgence, something we see also at La Milpa.
The eighth and early ninth centuries were La Milpa's time of greatest prosperity: the overwhelming majority of the pottery collections and the buildings from which they come, date to this period, when the population may have risen as high as 50,000. In the Great Plaza we see this revival in many ways: new monuments were dedicated, including Stelae 7, 8, 11 and 12, all still in position along the east side of the plaza. Stela 12 is the southernmost, and earliest in style, although no date is preserved. The only readable glyph is, by good luck, the Emblem Glyph which denotes the La Milpa polity. Stela 7 remains the only fully legible text: the ruler Ukay dedicated it in November of A.D. 780 at the time of the new moon.
But some time between A.D. 830 and 850, La Milpa 'collapsed'. The northwestern and northern sides of the Great Plaza had no buildings, merely long, low mounds which look unfinished, as though more was intended to happen. The fifth large pyramid, Structure 21 on the large southern Plaza B, lacks masonry facing, a stair, and a superstructure. A major extension of the main palace was left unfinished. Between the Great Plaza and Plaza B was a quarry with freshly-made blocks stockpiled ready for use. Similar evidence of sudden abandonment was found in the outlying minor centres. La Milpa went out with a bang, but a silent one: we have no evidence for invasion, destruction or any other explanation for why, in the middle of a major royal building program that embraced the palace, a temple, several other major structures in the core, and an ambitious overarching cosmic landscape design, it all fell apart.
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There are many big and small Phoenix car insurance companies that are catering to the thousands of auto users in this region. While some Phoenix auto insurance companies in Maryland and legal entities, there are many others that issue fraudulent Phoenix auto insurance policies that do not carry any legal binding. Hence, verify the authenticity of any insurance provider before opting for them.
There are a number of auto insurance companies in phoenix, Maryland in addition to the regular national names. And most of them are reliable as they have been around for a long time.
So let's go about trying to differentiate the various companies located in phoenix, Maryland. But before we do that, let us understand where phoenix is located and what its demographics are.
Phoenix is located in the Baltimore County in the state of Maryland. It is a very small community with in fact just two petrol stations and one Mc Donald's! The law of Maryland states that all car owners must own minimum insurance coverage in order to qualify for driving.
As mentioned earlier, there are two major types of auto insurance companies, the big national names and the smaller local companies.
The national companies are much more reliable than the local ones. This is because they have a large customer base and can be relied upon to pay up when the need arises. You can sleep in peace with the knowledge that all your accident bills will be covered for the insured amount. There will be no surprises involved when you deal with the big companies. There are a few multinationals and a few government run companies too.
The local companies are more in number. And they will definitely give you a better deal in terms of premium to be paid per term. But you must always be careful when signing on the dotted line, as there are a lot of small companies which really will not keep their word. You must always be doubly sure when dealing with such establishments. The best way is to go look into such a company only when someone you know has actually recommended it to you. This way you can be sure about their reliability.
There is also a state run insurance company in Maryland. If you are staying in Phoenix, Maryland and are unable to get cheap insurance, the best thing to do would be to approach the Maryland automobile insurance fund for assistance. Usually not all the people who apply would qualify for this, but it's worth a try as they will give you a really good deal if you do get in. this fund was started in order to aid drivers who are unable to get insurance due to their track record or other circumstances.


If you haven't tried to observe outbursting Comet Holmes (17P) yet, you really should! This comet is putting on an unusual show in the northern hemisphere's night sky. Northern hemisphere observers will be able to spot it as a bright fuzzy star (now growing to almost half the apparent diameter of the Full Moon) in Perseus. A good pair of binoculars will show its bright round fuzzy nucleus best.
To locate it, scour along a line between the bright star Capella in Auriga and Mirfak in Perseus. Through a pair of 10×50 binoculars it is quite possible to find the fuzzy white orb of Holmes amongst the background stars.
Over the past few weeks the comet has dramatically risen to naked eye visibility with a million fold increase in brightness. What's odd about this comet though is that it is brightening as it moves away from the Sun. Normally comets brighten as they approach it! Astronomers are not sure what might have caused the incredible outburst. It may have been caused by a collision with a small rocky object (a meteoroid) or a sudden collapse and subsequent exposure of parts of the comet's icy surface.
Current estimates have the comet at roughly magnitude 2.5, well within naked-eye visibility. So weather permitting you will be able catch a glimpse of this intriguing celestial visitor as it heads away from the Sun.
← Not just pretty pictures – The science behind Hubble's greatest images'.


text:
Tyrol divided over Pitztal and Ötztal link
27th April 2022, by Abi Butcher
The local lift company says the Pitztal Glacier has been unchanged for 30 years
Thousands of Tyrolean residents in Austria have joined forces to protest against the destruction of a glacier to join two ski resorts.
A petition with more than 168,000 signatures was handed to the Tyrol state government last week to protest against the project to connect the Pitztal Glacier and Ötztal Glacier in the Tyrol, Austria. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of several environmental charities opposing the plans, which have been underway since 2019.
More than 750,000 cubic metres of snow, rock and ice from an area the size of 90 football fields would be removed to make way for a connection between the two resorts, which is claimed would benefit the local ski industry.
But those opposed say it would damage the summer tourism, in particular hiking and climbing in the area, as well as a mountain hut owned by the German Alpine Club since 1892.
The clearance would provide five additional ski slopes which protestors say is not enough to warrant damaging the glacier.
A local newspaper, the Tiroler Tageszeitung, found the majority of its readers — 70 per cent — were against the Pitztal-Ötztal connection project in a 2020 survey.
It is not unusual for ski resort expansions to meet fierce opposition.
For more information on the plans, visit pitztal-oetztal.tirol
To buy a copy of Where to Ski in Austria, visit wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/the-book
ötztal glacier
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