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Peak soil is no joke: Civilization's foundation is eroding
Sometime within the last century, soil erosion began to exceed new soil formation over large areas. Countries all over the world -- including the United States -- are now expanding cultivation onto marginal land, a move that historically ends in disaster.
Lester Brown
Climate + Food
The thin layer of topsoil that covers the planet's land surface is the foundation of civilization. This soil, typically 6 inches or so deep, was formed over long stretches of geological time as new soil formation exceeded the natural rate of erosion. But sometime within the last century, as human and livestock populations expanded, soil erosion began to exceed new soil formation over large areas.
This is not new. In 1938, Walter Lowdermilk, a senior official in the Soil Conservation Service of the USDA, traveled abroad to look at lands that had been cultivated for thousands of years, seeking to learn how these older civilizations had coped with soil erosion. He found that some had managed their land well, maintaining its fertility over long stretches of history, and were thriving. Others had failed to do so and left only remnants of their illustrious pasts.
In a section of his report titled "The Hundred Dead Cities," he described a site in northern Syria, near Aleppo, where ancient buildings were still standing in stark isolated relief, but they were on bare rock. During the seventh century, the thriving region had been invaded, initially by a Persian army and later by nomads out of the Arabian Desert. In the process, soil and water conservation practices used for centuries were abandoned. Lowdermilk noted, "Here erosion had done its worst … if the soils had remained, even though the cities were destroyed and the populations dispersed, the area might be re-peopled again and the cities rebuilt, but now that the soils are gone, all is gone."
Wind and water erosion take a toll. The latter can be seen in the silting of reservoirs and in satellite photographs of muddy, silt-laden rivers flowing into the sea. Pakistan's two large reservoirs, Mangla and Tarbela, which store Indus River water for the country's vast irrigation network, are losing roughly 1 percent of their storage capacity each year as they fill with silt from deforested watersheds.
Ethiopia, a mountainous country with highly erodible soils, is losing close to 2 billion tons of topsoil a year, washed away by rain. This is one reason Ethiopia always seems to be on the verge of famine, never able to accumulate enough grain reserves to provide meaningful food security.
Soil erosion from the deterioration of grasslands is widespread. The world's steadily growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats forage on the two-fifths of the earth's land surface that is too dry, too steeply sloping, or not fertile enough to sustain crop production. This area supports most of the world's 3.3 billion cattle, sheep, and goats, all ruminants with complex digestive systems that enable them to digest roughage, converting it into beef, mutton, and milk.
An estimated 200 million people make their living as pastoralists, tending cattle, sheep, and goats. Since most land is held in common in pastoral societies, overgrazing is difficult to control. As a result, half of the world's grasslands are degraded. The problem is highly visible throughout Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and northwest China, where the growth in livestock numbers tracks that in human numbers. In 1950, Africa was home to 227 million people and 273 million livestock. By 2007, there were 965 million people and 824 million livestock.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is losing 351,000 hectares (867,000 acres) of rangeland and cropland to desertification each year. While Nigeria's human population was growing from 37 million in 1950 to 148 million in 2007, a fourfold expansion, its livestock population grew from roughly 6 million to 102 million, a 17-fold jump. With the forage needs of Nigeria's 16 million cattle and 86 million sheep and goats exceeding the sustainable yield of grasslands, the northern part of the country is slowly turning to desert. If Nigeria continues toward its projected 289 million people by 2050, the deterioration will only accelerate.
Iran, with 73 million people, illustrates the pressures facing the Middle East. With 8 million cattle and 79 million sheep and goats — the source of wool for its fabled rug-making industry — Iran's rangelands are deteriorating from overstocking. In the southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan, sand storms have buried 124 villages, forcing their abandonment. Drifting sands have covered grazing areas — starving livestock and depriving villagers of their livelihood.
Neighboring Afghanistan is faced with a similar situation. The Registan Desert is migrating westward, encroaching on agricultural areas. A U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) team reports that "up to 100 villages have been submerged by windblown dust and sand." In the country's northwest, sand dunes are moving onto agricultural land in the upper reaches of the Amu Darya basin, their path cleared by the loss of stabilizing vegetation from firewood gathering and overgrazing. The UNEP team observed sand dunes 15 meters high blocking roads, forcing residents to establish new routes.
China faces similarly difficult challenges. After the economic reforms in 1978 that shifted the responsibility for farming from large state-organized production teams to farm families, China's cattle, sheep, and goat populations spiraled upward. While the United States, a country with comparable grazing capacity, has 97 million cattle, China has a slightly smaller herd of 82 million. But while the United States has only 9 million sheep and goats, China has 284 million. Concentrated in China's western and northern provinces, sheep and goats are destroying the land's protective vegetation. The wind then does the rest, removing the soil and converting productive rangeland into desert.
China's desertification may be the worst in the world. Wang Tao, one of the world's leading desert scholars, reports that from 1950 to 1975 an average of 600 square miles turned to desert each year. By century's end, nearly 1,400 square miles (3,600 square kilometers) were going to desert annually. Over the last half-century, some 24,000 villages in northern and western China have been entirely or partly abandoned as a result of being overrun by drifting sand.
China is now at war. It is not invading armies that are claiming its territory, but expanding deserts. Old deserts are advancing and new ones are forming like guerrilla forces striking unexpectedly, forcing Beijing to fight on several fronts.
Soil erosion often results from the demand-driven expansion of cultivation onto marginal land. Over the last century or so there were massive cropland expansions in two countries — the United States and the Soviet Union — and both ended in disaster.
During the late 19th century, millions of Americans pushed westward, homesteading on the Great Plains, plowing vast areas of grassland to produce wheat. Much of this land — highly erodible when plowed — should have remained in grass. This overexpansion culminated in the 1930s Dust Bowl, a traumatic period chronicled in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath. In a crash program to save its soils, the United States returned large areas of eroded cropland to grass, adopted strip-cropping, and planted thousands of miles of tree shelterbelts.
The second major expansion came in the Soviet Union beginning in the mid-1950s. In an all-out effort to expand grain production, the Soviets plowed an area of grassland larger than the wheat area of Australia and Canada combined. The result, as Soviet agronomists had predicted, was an ecological disaster — another Dust Bowl. Kazakhstan, where the plowing was concentrated, has abandoned 40 percent of its grainland since 1980. On the remaining cultivated land, the wheat yield per acre is one-sixth of that in France, West
ern Europe's leading wheat producer.
A third massive cropland expansion is now taking place in the Brazilian Amazon Basin and in the cerrado, a savannah-like region bordering the basin on its south side. Land in the cerrado, like that in the U.S. and Soviet expansion, is vulnerable to soil erosion. This cropland expansion is pushing cattle ranchers into the Amazon forests, where ecologists are convinced that continuing to clear the area of trees will end in disaster. Reporter Geoffrey Lean, summarizing the findings of a 2006 Brazilian scientific symposium in London's Independent, notes that the alternative to a rainforest in the Amazon would be "dry savannah at best, desert at worst."
Civilization depends on fertile soils. Ultimately, the health of the people cannot be separated from the health of the land. Conserving and rebuilding soils will be covered in the next Plan B 4.0 Book Byte.
Adapted from Chapter 2, "Population Pressure: Land and Water" in Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
Here's a switch: Gulf residents want feds involved in restoring their coastline
Randy Rieland Culture
What 5,000-year-old skeletons tell us about living with climate change
England finally joins Europe in banning single-use plastic foodware
A tiny Wisconsin town tried to stop pollution from factory farms. Then it got sued.
Pawpaws, America's latest fruit craze, are being threatened by climate change
Diana Kruzman


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Whiteleys' dancers nominated for awards
Dancers at Whiteleys' Academy of Performing Arts have been nominated for awards after gaining high scores in the International Dance Teachers' Association (IDTA) exams.
Four promising performers have been selected by the examiner for the awards which take place in February and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
Harrison Buss and Sarah pedley, both 15, and 14-year-old Grace Whitaker all gained their nomination after successfully passing their intermediate ballet exam with distinctions.
Megan Moon, 16, was also selected after obtaining a distinction mark of 96 on her advanced one ballet exam and passing her grade five tap exam with a distinction.
A spokesperson for the IDTA said: "This mark does not happen very often. It is a remarkable achievement."
Sandy Whiteley principle of the school said: "It's an absolute privilege for the school to be represented by our students and to be nominated is amazing. They have all worked so hard and this shows that hard work really pays off. We were all delighted when we were informed of the nominations.
"We always knew Megan was capable of obtaining a high mark thanks to our amazing teachers. Megan is now working towards her advanced two which will be her final ballet exam, this is the top exam to take."
The students are also getting ready for Whiteleys' annual dance performance at the Victoria Theatre on Saturday, November 28. The Portrait of Dance will showcase nearly 200 students aged from three to 18 in all genres including ballet, street and contemporary. Tickets are available from the box office.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the beginning stages, web pages were developed only using html which are nothing but static pages. User interaction and dynamic changes are not possible with html. With the advent of scripting languages, the problem was solved. There are two types of script languages - server side and client side.
When a page is requested, the request is sent to the server and data is fetched and viewed in the browser.
If the dynamic changes in the web page are caused in the server side (the server checks the request and based on the data it makes changes in the page before sending the data to the browser) it is called server side scripting language (E.g. - php).
Java script codes are embedded in HTML files. Whenever a browser requests for a webpage, the HTML file along with script is transferred to the browser. This tutorial will give you an introduction and help you learn java script.
This tutorial will help both beginners and advanced users to learn java script.


We offer both pest control and termite services for residential areas in Arizona. Please use the links below to learn more.
If you have any questions, please call the office or click here to submit a request for a friendly representative to contact you.
Termagon's pest professionals can help you with pest control in Pima County, Maricopa County & Santa Cruz County.
To view our service area, click here.


Gion is a popular area in Kyoto where hordes of tourists come to photograph and get photographed. Bike rentals are possible, too.
AngelFigueroa has published 3 street photos in UPSP.
Perfect timing in your capture and lighting , well done!


Turnaround times are counted using working days only and are estimates, if your job is time critical it is important to let us know, we will advise as to whether we can achieve a target date or not.
Prices quoted remain in place for 7 days, prices on our websites may be subject to change depending on the product or associated level of project.
Pick up within the Manchester area are subject to a min order value of £200, return charges for all orders are £9.99 and are carried out by interlink/DPD Insurance on these items are minimal and set by the courier usually £50 per consignment, if you require your goods to be fully insured you must obtain this insurance yourselves or organize your own collection.
Images provided by First in Retail Ltd will be delivered Online upon receipt of cleared payment using Bank Transfer (bacs). (unless we agree credit terms) Final images will not be released before full payment has been received. Clients wishing to discuss alternative payment terms should contact us to speak with a member of our accounts team. All prices are exclusive of VAT, and return delivery if applicable.
Once cleared payment has been received the images will be made instantly available online. You will be provided with a unique User Name & Password to access your images from our Client Login area, which is secure. Other methods of delivery are also available.
aLL Services provided by First in REtail Ltd are none refundable.
the studio requires a minimum of 48 hours notice for cancellations. Failure to do this will result in a penalty of 50% of the total quoted price for the job payable to First in Retail Ltd. if a cancellation notice is less than 24hrs then the full amount for the entire shoot will payable.
First in Retail Ltd do not pass any details on to any third party and all of our clients contact details are kept securely, remain confidential and are never shared, disclosed or given out. this applies to imagery, if we shoot stock that is identical to your stock, for example a barbour jacket, that jacket will be shot processed and treated as individual items for each and every client that we shoot that jacket for, no two images will ever be the same.
First in Retail Ltd. provide no insurance coverage whilst our clients items are at our studio. If insurance cover is required our clients are advised to arrange their own insurance cover. Whilst in transit either to or from our studio, our clients' products should be covered by the insurance provided by the courier tasked with transporting the goods, and it is the client's responsibility to ensure that the insurance is sufficient to cover the goods transported. First in Retail accept no responsibility for products lost or damaged in transit, to or from our studios. We hold full public and employee liability insurance for all visitors and people working at the studio. Items returned by ourselves are insured for MAX value of £1000 via Interlink Express, claims for loss must be with the courier, once goods have left our care any liability of damage or loss is that of the courier and client.
Photography Projects will commence following acceptance of a written or verbal brief provided by our clients. Re-shoots will be chargeable if First in Retail Ltd has adhered to the brief and our client makes changes to the brief after the images have been shot. Re-shoots are charged at the same rate as the original shoot. First in retail reserve the decision to re shoot an item, there has to be a clear and evident mistake in the styling, photography or post production for us to sanction a re shoot.
First in Retail Ltd. retains copyright on all images supplied to our clients. However, our photography is supplied with an 'Internal Business Use' license. we do not stipulate a time limit on this usage. All images supplied must be used by our clients own business as indicated on the invoice, images cannot be distributed, or sold. Additional Usage Rights for the use of images outside of the clients business can be negotiated as required. In the event of a client defaulting on any invoice First in Retail Ltd reserve the right to revoke the license and issue instructions to remove any images in public facing media immediately.
Use of images outside of our terms are deemed to be "unauthorized" and as such must be removed on request, if you fail to remove any images we reserve the right to charge a flat fee of £50 per image per day.
If payment is not made by the due date or in accordance with our clients' specific payment terms & conditions, we reserve our statutory right to claim interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation. A fee of £10 (excluding VAT) will be made for each account reminder, duplicate invoice, or any other correspondence, paperwork or phone call involved with the recovery of a debt / unpaid invoice. This is non-refundable and represents time spent pursuing overdue invoices.
In addition, in the event of an unpaid invoice, First in Retail Ltd. reserve their right to revoke all discounts relating to the job for which the invoice remains unpaid, making them null & void and to revert to our full standard pricing structure appropriate to the job.
First in Retail reserve the right to remove ALL license and usage rights to clients with outstanding invoices.
15. Incorrect goods delivered / shortages.
First in Retail Ltd shall have no liability to the client if it is prevented from or delayed in providing its service by acts, events, omissions or accidents beyond its reasonable control, including failure of a utility service or transport network, act of God, war, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery, fire, flood, storm or default of suppliers or sub-contractors.
After 30 days Ownership of any goods not collected or not returned for any reason will be transfered to First in Retail Ltd, we reserve the right to dispose of these items as we see fit.
Discounts are based on various criteria agreed by the client and First in Retail Ltd, as such First in Retail Ltd reserve the right to make additional charges if the specified criteria is not met by the client. Our Discount is worked on a number of items over a year, you agree to supply a Minimum number to receive the corresponding discount if the numbers are less you then will be invoiced for the difference.
We will beat or match any price you have been quoted for our standard listed photography services (other services are looked at on a case by case basis). All Price Guarantee quotes from other companies need to meet certain criteria this includes but is not restricted too some/all of the following: VAT registration, like for like capability, like for like studio facilities, timescale, usage license.
Any quoted, invoiced or listed price come with a built in deduction to our default "none licensed" pricing structure. in the event images are used outside of our terms and conditions, or agreement with yourself or failure to remove image/s after we request them to be remove (due to copyright infringement or none payment) then pricing for any images will default to the "none licensed" pricing structure which is £10 per image per day.
We only offer credit terms at our discretion and if a client has passed our credit checks, all images must be paid for in full before we release them.
First in Retail does not operate any form of external marketing, and as such any data we use is for general communications with clients and invoicing purposes.
Users contacting this website and/or its owners do so at their own discretion and provide any such personal details requested at their own risk. Your personal information is kept private and stored securely by our partners until a time it is no longer required or has no use, as detailed in the Data Protection Act 1998. Every effort has been made to ensure a safe and secure form to email submission process but advise users using such form to email processes that they do so at their own risk.
DJI Mavic our new aerial platform.


WHAT WATERCOLOR PAINT IS BEST FOR ME?
Everything is about that bling – especially when talking about student grade verses artist grade paint. I used to always be curious why the same color of paint may cost $4 in one tube and $12 to $20 in another tube of the same size. The reason is based on their quality.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDENT GRADE & ARTIST GRADE PAINT?
STUDENT GRADE PAINT – is made with less pigment and more filler or glue that holds the paint and pigment together. This is why some student grade paint can have these strange particles or leave these muddy colors while painting.
ARTIST GRADE PAINT – on the other hand, usually has more pigment and less filler – giving you more vibrant and transparent colors directly from the source.
SO WHAT PAINT IS BEST FOR ME?
If you're starting out or just trying to play around with new colors, student grade paint is AWESOME for experimenting and it doesn't hurt your wallet.
However, keep in mind, if you desire vibrant colors – you're going to be using ALOT of your student grade paint very quickly. In this case, you may want to make an investment in some artist grade paints – especially for the colors you seem to use quite often.
Every artist has those "go to" colors – that they couldn't live without. A few of mine are Winsor & Newton – opera rose, winsor yellow, cobalt turquoise, and olive green. These paints are perfect for my earthy and jewel tones paintings and well worth the investment for my color palettes.
But for you – your colors may be completely different which is fine. This is why student grade paint is crucial in evaluating what you really need and what you can simply pass on.
This may sound like a strange classification, but hear me out.
The next question you want to ask yourself is do you like to paint with fresh watercolor paint, dried watercolor paint or both?
PANS: Some watercolor artists, love pan sets because all your colors are laid out before you and easily assessable at anytime. Since these are dried paints, you will have to refresh them before use – which isn't that big of a deal. The pro to these is pan sets usually come with a wide variety of colors pre-mixed and ready to use. However, in my experience if you want very vibrant bright colors from a pan set you have to invest in an artist grade set to really get those super bright colors.
TUBES: Tube paints on the other hand, can give you a bit more variety when it comes to painting. Since you can buy the colors you desire and invest in cheaper brands – you have a bit more control over the look of your paint palette. But the one key that I love about these paints – is that if you use them directly from the tube – you're almost guaranteed bright vibrant colors. This is why, when filling my palette – I don't use the entire paint tube – because sometimes I desire to use my paint directly from the tube for the richest intensity possible.
Now, you might be thinking? Carrie we already talked about Vibrancy – what else is there? Well, A LOT actually. This might sound dumb, but once again bear with me, – in order to paint with watercolor the crucial ingredient you must have is water. The dilemma with this is that the more water you add to your paint the less vibrant and rich your color will become. However, the less water you add the more cake-y and rough your paint will appear when painting. So, how do you find this happy medium of rich pigmented paint – yet light and airy consistency.
This is where watercolor concentrates shine! Watercolor concentrates, also known as liquid watercolors are as the name suggests – in a liquid form. Thus, by adding these little guys to our dried paints or even our tube paints – we are not just re-activating them but also mixing our paints to their highest vibrant consistency. This is how I create super saturated colors in my illustrations without the cake-y and heavy texture usually associated with heavily concentrated watercolor paint.
WHAT PAINT IS BEST FOR ME?
So, getting back to our original question, What paint is best for me? Well, that is entirely up to your art style and your preference. For me, I love using Winsor and Newton watercolor tube paints mixed with Dr. PH Martin's Radiant Watercolor Concentrates. This paint combo works best for me and my style. As I'm sure you know, there are tons of other brands and even types of watercolor paints – but these are the ones I'm most familiar with since I use them daily.
Well, that is it for this post. I hope this cleared up some things for you and perhaps you learned something new.
….As Always Ya'll, it's been a pleasure and I will see you next time!


Combining the ergonomic design of a concealable carrier with the functionality of a load–bearing vest, the Gresham provides the ideal combination of form, fit, and versatility.
Point Blank's Gresham crossover carrier offers the ultimate fusion of comfort and round-the-clock performance. Combining the ergonomic design of a concealable carrier with the functionality of a load–bearing vest, the Gresham provides the ideal combination of form, fit, and versatility. Ideally suited for daily wear in any environment, this multi-functional carrier allows for rapid insertion of ballistic panels for optimal protection.


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Phone hacking: Met use Official Secrets Act to demand Guardian reveals sources
Amazingly, Scotland Yard - which failed to properly investigate the phone hacking scandal until pushed to do so by reports in the Guardian - is now using arcane legislation to try to force the Guardian to reveal it's sources.
Follow the link for the Guardian story about the attempt to get a Court Order.


A set performed by Cut Copy back in May of this year at the now closed down Studio B in Brooklyn is currently streaming on Pitchfork TV.
In case you don't already know, Cut Copy are Australian and sound like a mixture of something between New Order, Daft Punk and Human League with a little rock infusion. Indie dance, electro-pop, you get the general idea. I'm quite a fan. Here's the Pitchfork TV video so you can decide whether you are to.


Only one more day to enter the Goodreads giveaway and your chance to win one of one hundred ebooks of The Fiery Salamander. Hurry up and enter. The train is about to sail. The boat is leaving the station. The blimp is about to submerge.


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Home › Abbott › Medical Device
Abbott Receives CE Mark for its COVID-19 IgG Quantitative Antibody Blood Test
IndustryPRwire -- Abbott announced it received CE Mark for its new quantitative SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Immunoglobulin G) lab-based serology test. IgG antibody testing that gives a quantitative result (measuring the amount of antibodies) provides important insights to people as they recover from COVID-19 and helps evaluate a person's immune response to a vaccine.
Countries around the world are preparing for the authorization and the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. As these vaccines become available, healthcare professionals and researchers will need to assess how individuals and communities are responding.
John Hackett, Ph.D., divisional vice president of Applied Research and Technology for Abbott's diagnostics business Commented "Testing will continue to help both identify those who are infected as well as determine whether people have had a natural or vaccine-induced immune response, Quantitative antibody testing can help provide greater understanding of a person's immune response."
The evolution of serology testing during COVID-19
During the early months of the pandemic, Abbott launched its first COVID-19 IgG antibody blood test, which detects the nucleocapsid protein of the virus. The qualitative test continues to provide a better understanding of people's immune response to the virus, including potential duration of the recovery process. The new quantitative antibody test expands on this knowledge by determining both the presence and level (or titer) of antibodies present in the blood.
Abbott's scientists designed its quantitative assay to detect the spike protein of the virus, which plays an important part in how the virus enters the cells. As the body develops an immune response, antibodies develop and bind to the spike portion of the virus in order to block the protein and ultimately prevent infection.
Several vaccines are designed with the spike protein to trigger that same immune response. Research has also shown a correlation between rising IgG levels that target the spike protein, such as those in Abbott's quantitative test, and rising levels of neutralizing antibodies, or the specific antibodies that block infections.1-2 Studies are underway to understand the relationship between the levels of antibodies a person has and potential immunity from the virus.
As we continue to learn more about the virus, antibody tests may help:
Determine and monitor a person's immune response to vaccines, including research to determine how long a response may last
Assess whether a person's antibody levels are a result of the body's natural response to fighting the virus, versus a vaccine-induced response
Evaluate an individual's level of antibodies to help determine eligibility and potency for convalescent plasma donations
The quantitative IgG antibody test is the latest in Abbott's broad portfolio of tests to support the global healthcare community in the fight against COVID-19. Abbott's COVID-19 test portfolio includes molecular, antigen and serology tests. These tests can help healthcare professionals detect the virus at all stages of its life cycle, including tests that are done in the lab as well as rapid tests done at the point of care.
About the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant antibody test
Abbott's quantitative IgG antibody test is designed to detect levels of IgG antibodies that attach to the virus' spike protein on the virus surface in serum and plasma from individuals who are suspected to have had COVID-19, or in serum and plasma of subjects that may have been infected by SARS-CoV-2.
A study to determine the clinical performance of Abbott's SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant test on its Alinity i instrument found it had 99.60% specificity (ability to exclude false positives) and 99.35% sensitivity (ability to exclude false negatives) in patients tested 15 days or more after symptoms began.
The quantitative IgG test will be available on both the Abbott ARCHITECT and Alinity i platforms. Abbott is also developing a test and plans to submit for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization soon.
Abbott Medical Device


Ugly duckling to swan in just a few minutes.
One ugly thrift store sleigh. My first thought was to gat rid of the plastic used to house a green arrangement and make it a cany dish sleigh.
A little Rustoleum hammered finish spray paint took away the glaring gold. Thanks goodness.
I knew I was going to light the centerpiece so I wanted to add a little glitz to the sleigh. A light coat of clear glitter spray paint did the trick.
I added one simple embellishment to the back of the sleigh. Remember I am really trying to adhere to the less is more approach to the holidays. I chose a white glittered ribbon, a sprig oof green, and a clear ball filled with water softener salt. aAgain with the repeat and the glitter and salt will twinkle in the soft light.
Gear # 2 comes in to play as the base for my sleigh candy dish.
I filled the center of the gear with water softener salt to represent snow. A sleigh needs snow right?
Some Greens clipped from the great outdoors were fashioned into the shape of a pine tree and planted in one of the holes around the edge of the gear. Again this was done to represent winter and an outdoor Christmas feel.
I purchased the little nugget candies because they look like packages, I also sewed a little Santa back out of my ribbon, filled it with candy, and tied it with string.
Under the snow is a small string of battery operated rise lights that lends just the right amount of glistening to the snow.
Sleigh bells ring. Can you hear them? In the lane snow is glistening.
The other part of my task was to try and fix a thrift store get that my friend was going to put in her home as is with an expected green arrangement. When she wasn't looking I took it and gave her a replacement.
suewhitney writes: Thank you so much ladies and gentlemen. A merry, merry Christmas to all!
StrangeCargo writes: Sue, you have a way of smoothing out the rough and cold, cool luck of industrial. Sweet!
georgiamoon writes: Super adorable and creative!!!


Paul Drew, eCommerce Marketing Manager, said: "We are investing heavily in our websites this year to streamline their operation and increase the number of hits and bookings to the sites. Global Media, as a worldwide operation with experience and huge buying power, will help us to achieve this.
The £568m turnover United Co-op Travel Group is one of the UK's largest independent holiday retailers and a division of United Co-operatives.


Depending on skin condition and desired outcome a few sessions may be required. It could be used on face, neck, décolletage, hand and other body areas. At Wellness Studio we offer a range of Chemical Peels from mild to moderate strength to suit individual needs of a client.
Over the next 1 to 14 days, depending on types of peel and layers applied and how deeply the chemical penetrated the skin, the old skin peels off and a new skin grow in its place.


For three straight years, Gartner has named Pure a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Solid-State Arrays. According to IDC, Pure has become a Top 10 data storage vendors faster than any other company in history.
We continue to take market share while achieving record-setting customer satisfaction scores for the enterprise technology industry. For more information, check out our corporate fact sheet here. Topping the Bay Area's Best Places to Work lists for 5 years running, we've built a team that has rich and diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. Puritans have a passion for innovation, creativity, customer success, transparency, teamwork and fun. We're looking for talented people to join us on the journey.
Pure Storage is seeking a technical software development manager to help lead product development and grow the overall engineering organization.
You will be leading a team of software developers in the creation of our product and will need to partner with product management, QA, technical writing, and various other software teams. You will also provide the necessary technical direction and mentoring to employees on your team and others to achieve successful project outcomes.
In this role you'll get to learn and contribute to the process of developing great technology and building a successful company. Our open culture and transparency in both strategy and operations allow employees a deeper level of engagement in engineering and business decisions.
Hands-on management to help lead product quality and efficiently scale the team to support the company's growth.
You will be leading a team of Software System QA Engineers in assuring product quality by leveraging our automation tests & manual test coverage.
Identify any test gaps, perform root cause analysis & close loop with release engineering.
You will partner with other Engineering teams to optimize the reliability and predictability of our releases.
You will also provide the necessary technical direction and mentor employees on your team and others within the Engineering organization.
4 plus years of technical management experience, at multiple levels while staying hands-on in testing, troubleshooting or development.
Successfully manage and lead team with senior engineers.
Proven expertise in managing projects throughout the entire development life-cycle.
We look for talent and culture first, specific backgrounds second. So once you decide Pure is the right place for you, we will match you with the right project. Plus, we like people who have the ability to do different things and be constantly learning!


Charles notably presented the gladiator-style game show Robot Wars and narrated the comedy endurance show Takeshi's Castle. His acting credits include playing inmate Eugene Buffy in the ITV drama The Governor, and leading roles in the British films Fated and Clubbing to Death. He has toured the UK extensively as a stand-up comedian.
Charles has hosted The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on BBC radio since 2002, and performs DJ sets at numerous clubs and festivals, nationally and internationally. In September 2015, he left Coronation Street after ten years, to film new episodes of Red Dwarf.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Craig Charles", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.


I used to think that I understood the Peugeot numbering system and that a 403 was older than a 603.
In fact, there isn't a 603 because ...... well read the explanation of Peugeot's numbering system which I found on a forum on the internet called AussieFrogs.
"The first digit describes the size of the car (much like a BMW etc...) the 0 in the middle is a Peugeot trademark, and doesn't really state anything. the number after the 0 describes the model series i.e. generally speaking a larger number equates to a newer car, the odd ball being the 309 which is of a similar age as the 205, 405, 505 etc... the reason for the strange number of the 309 was because it was not a Peugeot, rather a Talbot and Peugeot at the time wanted to disassociate from the rest of the Peugeot range as much as possible.
There was no 7 series Peugeot, however the 8 series is left for vans and people movers, and the 9 series has been used for motorsport purposes in the past.
In recent times the lines have been obscured. With 2 series Peugeot's being of similar or near identical size as 3 series Peugeots and 4 series Peugeots being of a similiar size to 5 series Peugeots.
The last 5 series Peugeot was also rear wheel drive, and I suspect unless Peugeot decides to make another rear wheel drive car there will never be another 5 series car.
So to sum that up, 1 to 3 series Peugeots generally relate to small cars and hatchbacks, 4 to 5 series are for medium sized sedans, the 6 series is for touring and luxury cars, the 8 series is for people movers and vans, and the 9 has been used on and off for motor sport purposes."
Decided to keep going with these diaries. How frustrating it must have been to be an homosexual in the 1950s.


text:
Meet Mr. Rahul Abhishek, a young Indian entrepreneur and exceptional trader who is the founder of 3 companies and co-founder of 2 MNCs.
Talent and skills find their way to be recognized, irrespective of age and other limitations coming in the way, it rises to the top. The competitive world we live in is full of opportunities for those who dedicate their lives to their work. One such remarkable persona is Mr. Rahul Abhishek, who is a young Indian entrepreneur and expert trader.
Mr. Rahul laid the foundation of 3 companies and is the co-founder of 2 multi-national corporations. He is an exceptional developer with a knack for creating creative and clean web or mobile applications designed with the best intuitive functionality. Using creative solutions to bring the most excellent ideas into existence, he is dedicated to working tirelessly from learning new skills, concepts, and tools to working on solo full-stack projects.
With over 6 years of experience in this sector and accumulating many awards over the years, he specializes in developing simple, intuitive, and responsive user interface which helps users complete their work effortlessly in less time. Mr. Rahul is highly specialized in trading and he has received many awards for his commendable skills and knowledge about binary trading.
He was also awarded Highest Earned Trader 2022 in Binary trading by Pocket Option and was also recognized by many multi-national corporations including Alphabet and PayPal. His total net worth amounts to approximately 98.35 crores according to Wealth Directory USA.
Xgen Coders Inc. and Xerox money are his most successful ventures. Xgen Coders is a software company that assists other organizations in terms of technical staffing and software development. The team of professionals is in charge of converting amazing ideas into outstanding applications. The company specializes in Information Technology Consultancy, Android/IOS App and Web Development, and Product Design Strategy.
Xgen Coders have been providing IT Solutions for over 3 years now and has delivered more than 200 projects suited to every customer's demands. Over 500 full-time software consultants work across 8 delivery centers to fulfill customer demands and provide them with the best services according to their needs.
Xerox Money is a platform for students and traders who are guided with everything they need to know to get their money doubled in a legit way. Due to many frauds being reported out there, people hesitate to invest in trading, and hence, the company guides them throughout the process to be safe along the way.
Mr. Rahul Abhishek has established himself in a position that serves as an inspiration to everyone. The other two MNCs co-founded by him are Blued and Bazika Bank. He dedicates everything to his work and focuses on mastering his skills which makes him perfect in whatever he does. He has always made efforts to serve the best to his customers and through his ventures, he has been actively guiding everyone.
For more details and inquiries, you can contact the team through
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Related Topics:Indian entrepreneurMr. Rahul AbhishekXerox moneyXgen Coders Inc
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Palms huddle like spectators on the sidelines, their flitting fronds whispering in anticipation as the Amilla Fushi Islanders prepare to square off against a team of guests. Amilla Fushi's football pitch regularly plays host to planned matches and spontaneous showdowns, alike. It's beautifully maintained and floodlit, with games possible day or night. Guests can play pick-up matches with friends or take on the Islanders during regularly scheduled events. Modified children's competitions are also hosted from time to time.
After a sucessful four-day festive football camp, International footballer and Australia's all-time record goalscorer, Tim Cahill & his team will be leading regular training camps during school holiday periods throughout 2019. The 'Amilla Four Seventeen' football team will be for kids aged from 5-8 years and teens from 9-16 years old to train through elite coaching on the island's very own full-sized pitch.
The first ever football camp for Amilla Fushi was hosted by FUTBOLTEC . The Sydney-based football program owned by Asian Champions League winner Jason Trifiro and his brother, current Sydney United 58 player Glen Trifiro, invited young guests to train and perfect their skills through elite coaching on our very own full-sized pitch. The Junior Camp welcomed players aged from 5-11 years, whilst the Senior Camp was open to those aged 12-16 years.


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New chair appointed for the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC)
by Africa Media Australia August 22, 2019
written by Africa Media Australia August 22, 2019
Community advocate and experienced business leader Vivienne Nguyen has been appointed as Chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
Ms Nguyen brings more than 25 years experience in the corporate, community and public sectors to the role, with a strong background in promoting the social, cultural and economic benefits of multiculturalism, and in advocating for the needs of Victoria's diverse communities.
Viv Nguyen, the newly appointed chair of the VMC
" Viv Nguyen's dedication, experience and leadership will ensure the Victorian Multicultural Commission continues to advocate strongly for Victoria's diverse communities and provide expert advice to government. Our state's cultural and religious diversity is one of our greatest strengths. I am looking forward to working with Ms Nguyen to continue our proud tradition of embracing and celebrating Victoria's vibrant diversity." Stated Richard Wynne, Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Ms Nguyen was a Victorian Multicultural Commissioner from 2005 to 2008 and has been an active member of Victoria's diverse communities throughout her life.
As president of the Vietnamese Community of Australia's Victorian Chapter, Ms Nguyen helped build support for Australia's first Vietnamese cultural museum.
She has worked with a range of culturally and religiously diverse communities, supporting local African communities to engage with state and local governments to strengthen social cohesion.
More recently, Ms Nguyen has supported organisations and community members to transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
"As a proud Vietnamese-Australian woman and an advocate for diversity in all its forms, I am proud to be returning to the Commission in a leadership capacity. I'm excited to be able to offer my experience and passion to Victoria's multicultural communities. I am committed to working with communities and government to continue the work of creating a Victoria where everyone can fully participate, no matter a person's background, religion or identity." Stated Ms Nguyen, the newly appointed VMC chair
Prior to her work in the public and community sectors, Ms Nguyen held various business and financial roles, including at ANZ Banking Group where she led the organisation's global diversity strategy.
As Chair, Ms Nguyen will steer the Commission to identify and address issues faced by diverse groups, encourage communities to express and preserve their heritage and traditions and advise the Minister on community issues
The Victorian Multicultural Commission also promotes the social, cultural and economic benefits of our cultural diversity, oversees a network of Regional Advisory Councils, and delivers Victoria's largest multicultural celebration, Cultural Diversity Week
Ms Nguyen will begin her four-year term on Monday, 26 August 2019.
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Spent Sunday hiking around Buttermere in the English Lake District. We decided to climb the fells behind the lake and were rewarded with some of the most stunning views we have seen in the area.
In particular the views from Red Pike were truly spectacular - this one shows the view of Crummock Water, but from the top we could see five different lakes (well Waters) as there is only one lake in the Lake District.
From the top of Red Pike we followed the path onto High Style and then onto High Crag before descending back down to the lake side.
The weather was fantastic and we finished off the day at our favourite local watering hole - The Terrace Bar at The Trout Hotel.


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Monsanto slashes 2,600 jobs, buys back $3b in shares
by lvladmin on October 12, 2015 at 11:17 pm
Posted In: Hang the bankers
Monsanto, one of the world's largest seed and agrichemical companies, said on Wednesday that it was slashing 2,600 jobs and restructuring operations to cut costs in a slumping commodity market.
The company, which said it expected low prices for agricultural products to squeeze results well into 2016, also reported a much wider quarterly loss and gave an outlook below many analysts' expectations.
The layoffs would affect 11.6 percent of Monsanto's regular workforce, according to the company.
The global restructuring will also include an exit from the sugar cane business and "streamlining and reprioritizing" some commercial and research and development work.
To try to shore up investor confidence, the company announced a $3 billion accelerated share repurchase program that Chairman Hugh Grant said would be completed in the next six months. Its shares, which fell as much as 4.3 percent early on Wednesday, were nearly unchanged in afternoon trading.
Hugh Grant, Monsanto CEO, takes part in a panel during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York, September 28, 2015.
Monsanto said it expected to incur restructuring costs of $850 million to $900 million. When completed, the moves should help save as much as $400 million a year.
The restructuring, which caps a year when Monsanto's sales fell more than 5 percent, comes during an agricultural slump and a currency collapse in the important Brazilian market.
Swiss rival Syngenta AG, which Monsanto had tried to acquire over the summer, has said it is trying to bolster its bottom line by selling a vegetable seed business and undertaking a $2 billion share repurchase. And DuPont, which operates agricultural seed seller DuPont Pioneer, has lowered its profit outlook.
Monsanto forecast earnings per share of $5.10 to $5.60 for its new fiscal year, which began on Sept. 1. That is well below many analysts' expectations for more than $6.00.
The company said its losses widened to $1.06 a share in the fourth quarter ended on Aug. 31 from 31 cents a year earlier.
Sales of corn seeds and traits, Monsanto's key products, fell 5 percent to $598 million in the quarter. And sales at the company's agricultural productivity unit, which includes Roundup herbicide, dropped 12 percent to $1.1 billion.
Despite the bleak results, Grant said the company's fundamentals were strong.
Monsanto will remain focused on achieving growth targets for its core seeds and traits business and be "disciplined" with its herbicide business, he said.
Monsanto share price trending downwards.
The company said it would still meet its target of more than doubling fiscal 2014 earnings per share, excluding special items, by 2019.
Strong demand for corn and soybeans remains a key fundamental for Monsanto, Grant said.
The company has particularly high hopes for new soybeans, corn and cotton that can be sprayed with a new combination of Monsanto's glyphosate-based Roundup and dicamba herbicides. The combination is aimed at combating widespread weed resistance to glyphosate.
Monsanto still needs final regulatory approvals but said advance orders for "Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System" soybeans were on track to sell out by early December, company officials said. It expects pricing at a $5-to-$10-an-acre premium.
Monsanto also wants to expand sales of agricultural digital data products designed to help farmers boost crop yields. It will soon start field trials in Brazil, officials said.
While farmers have shown interest in the new software and hardware data products offered by Monsanto and several competitors, they have been reluctant to pay for them.
At Tuesday's close, the stock had dropped roughly 30 percent from a high set last February, and the company's growth strategy has under intense investor scrutiny after the failed Syngenta takeover attempt.
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Trump's ellipsis use on Twitter is a national travesty
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There are so many.
Whether he's tweet-ranting from his iPhone at four in the morning about the DNC, dropping conspiratorial Robert Mueller theories, or issuing proclamations that affect national security, like his ban of transgender people serving in the military, many of Donald Trump's tweets share one common factor—his obsession with ellipses.
Some tweets feature five, sometimes there are 11, at one point a retweet included 23—but there should only ever be three.
If anybody but Donald Trump did what I did in Syria, which was an ISIS loaded mess when I became President, they would be a national hero. ISIS is mostly gone, we're slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families, while at the same time fighting ISIS remnants......
The president sure loves his ellipsis, the set of three periods that are supposed to either represent an omitted section of text or more likely in Trump's case, a dramatic pause. Except in his case, it's extra dramatic because he uses them at the end of the tweets where he hasn't come close to finishing a thought.
We saw it on the morning of Dec. 7, when Trump went on a Twitter rant against Robert Mueller, James Comey and Hillary Clinton. All told, it ran five tweets and included an astounding 35 periods.
It started at 6:18am, when he tweeted out this:
Robert Mueller and Leakin' Lyin' James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest. And bye the way, wasn't the woman in charge of prosecuting Jerome Corsi (who I do not know) in charge of "legal" at the corrupt Clinton Foundation? A total Witch Hunt...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018
Then, he waited 10 minutes before tweeting out a connected thought. The pseudo-thread would end up comprising five tweets and take about an hour to complete.
The entire saga was intended to complain about the ongoing Russia investigation, but instead, all people could think about was why there were so many damn periods.
Your long............................................tweet really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Sounds like something a Third Grader would write
— Kari (@pengy1) December 8, 2018
Trump's tweeting habits, as noted by The Outline, might partially be credited to his age.
"Unlike any of the other most egregious parts of the Old People Online Stylebook, chronic ellipsis overuse has no easy explanation," the publication detailed in its breakdown on how the elderly use ellipses."Why… do old people… text… like this…?"
Instead of three dots, Trump notoriously strings together sets of at least four or five periods somewhat regularly, even at the beginning of tweets. He also uses them to connect multiple tweets like a thread, but without creating an actual thread.
.....Except the results are FAR BETTER than I ever said they were going to be! I campaigned against the NEVER ENDING WARS, remember!
He's done it more than 2,000 times on Twitter alone according to the Trump Twitter Archive.
The president tweeted out something with an ellipsis 2,015 times since September 2016. Out of the 3,500 or so times he tweeted in 2018, 589 of those tweets included ellipses. And 24 of Trump's tweets from 2018 used an ellipsis with at least seven periods.
Seven.
.......The Trump Administration will be announcing the new Secretary of the Interior next week.
....Will Robert Mueller's big time conflicts of interest be listed at the top of his Republicans only Report. Will Andrew Weissman's horrible and vicious prosecutorial past be listed in the Report. He wrongly destroyed people's lives, took down great companies, only to be........
I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing.......
The president's ellipsis use hasn't gone unnoticed. It was detailed by The Week in a breakdown of Trump's obscure punctuation use.
"His ellipses often hang unresolved for minutes, or dozens of minutes, building suspense and fueling wild speculation — and, of course, stoking attention," the article said.
We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but.......
But despite the absurdity of policy made by half-finished thoughts left dangling in the online ether, some, like linguistics teacher and Ph.D. candidate Vanessa McIntosh say critics need to cut the guy a break.
"Trump doesn't do many things right, and his use of ellipsis is just one of them," McIntosh told the Daily Dot. "The question we should be asking in my opinion, however, shouldn't be about whether Trump's use of ellipsis is right or wrong, but whether we're right or wrong to make such a big deal of it."
The Newcastle University teacher said that Twitter isn't the place to worry about grammar.
"Most of us tweet in an informal language register that's more colloquial in its tone than we'd use in a traditional text," she said. "I don't think Trump shouldn't be shamed for that just because he's the president of the United States."
Others, like Alex Lancaster, a copywriter based out of San Luis Obispo, California, say rules are rules.
"Three dots in an ellipsis is almost always correct," she told us. "There's an obscure rule in MLA style that allows for using four dots in certain cases, but they don't apply to Trump's tweets. I can't say why he lets his ellipsis trail off indefinitely, but I can speculate that he's ignorant to the basic rules of grammar and he's not too concerned with appearing professional or 'presidential.'"
The Daily Dot reached out to White House Director of Social Media, Dan Scavino Jr. for comment on the president's Twitter style, but haven't received a response as of publication time.
This isn't the first time Trump has been scrutinized for faulty grammar.
In October, Trump raised eyebrows for his new plan to always capitalize the 'c' in country.
You run the country. We still get to say how people capitalize it.https://t.co/n72sYqYTk7 https://t.co/RJ1r1pMsBH
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) October 19, 2018
A month ago, his infamous "smocking gun" typo went viral. That tweet had a storm of ellipses, too.
"Democrats can't find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey's testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion." @FoxNews That's because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,...
And earlier in 2017, a Georgia teacher went viral for marking up a letter she received from the president and posting the photo on Facebook.
"Have y'all tried grammar and style check?" she wrote at the top of the page.
Emily Bloch is a multimedia journalist based out of South Florida. She covers a mix of politics and entertainment for local, regional, and national publications including Teen Vogue and Business Insider.
Donald Trump Twitter


This weekend marks the renewal of one of NPSL's best rivalries, with an added boost. The former Bay Bridge rivalry between the East Bay FC Stompers of Hayward, California (formerly San Francisco) and CD Aguiluchos USA of Oakland, California, now becomes another one of NPSL's great intra-county Derbies, in Alameda County. NPSL has some great intra-county rivalries like the ones in Miami-Dade County, between Miami Fusion FC and Miami United, in Broward County between Storm FC and Weston FC, and in San Bernardino County between Corinthians USA and Southern California SC. These close proximity rivalries in the 4th tier of the USSF soccer pyramid can lead to some of the best rivalries in the game in the US, as currently there are no intra-county derbies in any of the top 3 soccer leagues. While an Alameda County Derby looked to be in the cards for the 2013 NPSL season, the Bay Area Ambassadors of Hayward folded the same year that CD Aguiluchos USA entered the league.
On Saturday April 9th, the East Bay FC Stompers will travel to Raimondi Park in Oakland to face CD Aguiluchos USA to mark the beginning of the Alameda County Derby at 7:30 pm. These two teams have all the fundamental ingredients that the best derby's in the world have to begin to build one of the best rivalries here in the United States. While these two teams have some similarities, their differences set up a great local grudge match.
First, both teams were founded to pay tribute to another club. The Aguiluchos were created to pay tribute to a current club in another country, CD Aguila, of the Primera Division of El Salvador, a team with no local ties to the East Bay. The Stompers pay homage to arguably the most successful club in the region's soccer history, the old Oakland Stompers of the NASL. While neither team previously had rights to the City of Oakland, and Aguiluchos were there first, the history of the Stompers brand makes it "feel" as though Aguiluchos took the home of the Stompers. This feels very similar to what happened more than 100 years ago when Liverpool FC was created and took control of Anfield Stadium. Which at the time was the home park of Everton FC. Many on Merseyside would argue that this was the root of one of the world's best rivalries. The Merseyside Derby.
Second, CD Aguiluchos use Spanish as their main language when it comes to social media and game day public announcements. While not specifically targeting only Latino fans, this marketing strategy will most certainly lead to a much higher level of attraction for Spanish speakers to follow the team, and make it more challenging for local English speakers to become fans. However, it is likely that announcements in Spanish will reach El Salvadorian soccer fans from much further than just Alameda County. On the other hand, the East Bay FC Stompers brand will attract local die hard English speaking soccer fans from the East Bay who know the great soccer history the region holds, but will not likely stretch much further than the county itself. Having cultural differences, as well as local vs. global ties is similar to many of the great world derbies. For example, Argentina's Superclássico Derby between Boca Juniors vs. River Plate features a team founded by Italian immigrants (Boca Juniors) vs. a team named for local port workers from the Buenos Aires Port (River Plate). Another example is the great Old Firm derby in Scotland with two religions on different sides, the Rangers FC (Protestants) vs. the Celtic FC (Catholics).
Third, there is a difference in the stadiums between CD Aguiluchos and the East Bay FC Stompers. While neither team at this point can be seen as representing the working class or the upper class club, the current fields used can in someway reflect this difference. The working class club vs. the upper class club is classic in most great soccer rivalries, from Boca vs. River Plate in Argentina to Everton vs. Liverpool in England to Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos in Greece. Great rivalries thrive on this class difference. CD Aguiluchos play in arguably the most working class area of the region, on a local rec soccer field surrounded by warehouses, freeways, and train tracks, covered by American football lines (Raimondi Park). The Stompers will play their home games in a stadium with 5000 seats on the Cal State University East Bay campus where a former women's pro team played (Pioneer Stadium). This is not to say that either Hayward or Oakland are exclusively blue collar or white collar, it is simply to point out that the appearance and surroundings of Pioneer Stadium will definitely feel more upper class than working class. And while field use is limited at Pioneer Stadium, almost anyone can register to play at Raimondi Park.
CD Aguiluchos come into this game off of a 5-3 loss in Sacramento last week leaving them with just 1 point from their first two games. The EBFC Stompers got a 2-0 win on the road in San Jose to open their season with the early 3 points. Players to look out for are #7 Arturo Gomez, Man of the Match for the Stompers in their opener and #9 Simon Rawnsley for CD Aguiluchos, the NPSL defending Golden Boot winner.
While not there yet, the future of this rivalry has the potential to be as good as any in the world, and definitely can over take most in the United States. The close proximately and differences between these two clubs are what rivalries are organically built on. While MLS and NASL are manufacturing rivalries, like the LA Galaxy vs. LAFC or Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Miami FC, NPSL has the potential for organically grown, grassroots rivalries, that have the potential to be the best derbies this Country will have. But this all has to start with the fans, the ultras, the barra bravas, and of course the community.


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SMS Schleswig-Holstein var ett tyskt slagskepp av pre-dreadnought-typ. Schleswig-Holstein var det sist byggda fartyget av fem i Deutschland-klass, som hon bildade tillsammans med SMS Deutschland, SMS Hannover, SMS Pommern och SMS Schlesien. Hennes huvudbestyckning utgjordes av fyra 28 cm kanoner i två dubbeltorn, ett i fören och ett i aktern, och den sekundära bestyckningen av fjorton 17 cm kanoner i kasematter.

Schleswig-Holstein byggdes på Germaniawerft i Kiel och sjösattes den 17 december 1906. Den 6 juli 1908 levererades hon till den kejserliga marinen. Schleswig-Holstein kom att delta aktivt i båda världskrigen. Under första världskriget tillhörde hon den tyska Högsjöflottan och deltog i Skagerrackslaget 31 maj-1 juni 1916, där hon skadades lindrigt. Efter slaget tjänstgjorde Schleswig-Holstein som bevakningsfartyg vid floden Elbes mynning och 1917 togs hon ur aktiv tjänst. Som ett resultat av Versaillesfördraget 1919 förbjöds Tyskland från att bygga nya slagskepp med deplacement på över 10 000 ton. Schleswig-Holstein kom därför att kvarstå i tjänst långt in på 1900-talet, trots att hennes konstruktion sedan länge var föråldrad. 1935 byggdes hon om för att tjänstgöra som skolfartyg för sjökadetter.

Fartyget avlossade de första skotten i andra världskriget då hon besköt polska ställningar på halvön Westerplatte utanför Danzig (nuvarande Gdańsk) den 1 september 1939 i inledningsskedet av den tyska invasionen av Polen. Schleswig-Holstein sänktes av brittiska bombplan den 18 december  1944. Efter krigsslutet bärgades vraket av den sovjetiska flottan för att användas som skjutmål. Sedan 1990 finns fartygets skeppsklocka utställd på tyska försvarsmaktens militärhistoriska museum i Dresden.

Referenser

Noter

Tryckta källor

Tyska slagskepp
Fartyg sjösatta 1906
Fartyg byggda i Kiel
Fartyg sänkta av flygplan
Deutschland-klass (slagskepp)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Report Claims P-R Money in Maine Going to Pay Salaries, Operating Costs
V. Paul Reynolds, editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, has been reporting on a three-part series, written by outdoor reporter Steve Carpenteri. This series examines how Maine's Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) are, or perhaps more accurately, are NOT being managed. Capenteri says hunters are being short changed.
So once again hunters are getting the short end of the stick. Money they spend on licenses and taxes is going everywhere else EXCEPT to manage wild game and wild game habitat.
Another head-shaking irony is that, while MDIF&W holds private forestland owners accountable for not protecting deer habitat, the Department itself apparently does not steward game habitat on the large parcels of forest that it directly controls.
In addition, Carpenteri reports that Maine received in 2010, $4.5 million from Pittman-Robertson excise tax funding and according to John Borland, a supervising biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), that money was spent on "salaries and operating costs".
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act was formulated for the purpose of specifically dedicating an excise tax, paid by the users, for the distinct purpose of protecting and restoring wildlife and habit for that wildlife for the hunters, trappers and fisherman who paid the fees. It was our money. Money that we agreed was to be used to ensure perpetuity of a hunting, trapping and fishing resource.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, ø16 U.S.C. 669¿ That the Secretary of Agriculture 1 is authorized to cooperate with
the States, through their respective State fish and game departments, in wildlife-restoration projects as hereinafter set forth; but no money apportioned under this Act to any State shall be expended therein until its legislature, or other State agency authorized by the State constitution to make laws governing the conservation of wildlife, shall have assented to the provision of this Act and shall have passed laws for the conservation of wildlife which shall include a prohibition against the diversion of license fees paid by hunters for any other purpose than the administration of said State fish and game department, except that, until the final adjournment of the first regular session of the legislature held after the passage of this Act, the assent of the Governor of the State shall be sufficient. The Secretary of Agriculture 1 and the State fish and game department of each State accepting the benefits of this Act shall agree upon the wildlife-restoration projects to be aided in such State under the terms of this Act and all projects shall conform to the standards fixed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
But, like all government "acts" and "laws", they get hijacked, abused, rewritten, manipulated, and misinterpreted, until each special interest gets what they want, and as Carpenteri pointed out, the sportsmen, who pay the tax, get short changed.
We now know that environmental, anti-hunting, animal rights groups, neatly disguised as "conservation" organizations, have successfully lobbied Congress in order to steal away from the sportsmen their money for projects that have nothing whatsoever to do with providing game protection and restoration of habitat for that game.
And because sportsmen, as a whole, are notorious for not being vigilant and participating in keeping their fish and game departments accountable for their actions, have allowed this to happen. Because the Department of Interior and each state's government fails the Act by not conducting proper auditing, there is little if any accountability in how this money is spent.
Yes, the sportsmen are getting screwed but much because of their own indifference. Governments, at all levels, are by nature, corrupt. Great sums of money are involved and so long as there are men who feel compelled, without any moral conviction, to knowingly steal monies intended for a specific program for their own special interests, nothing will change. What is left is to expose the corruption and hope enough people care enough to want to do something about it.
Maine Fish & Game to Invest $ Million Windfall From Pittman-Robertson on……Rifle Ranges?
Trump's Dysfunction Carrying Into USFWS
Press Banding Together on "North Woods Lawless"
Wolves, Buffalo and Coming Corruption
$750,000 For Maine Shooting Ranges
Filed Under: conservation, Game Management, Hunting Politics, Maine Hunting News, Trapping Tagged With: corruption, department of inland fisheries and wildlife, department of interior, excise tax, government, maine, misappropriation, pittman-robertson, steve carpenteri, v. paul reynolds


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Bond Unit Trusts
Why you should lend the government money
It's simple, lending money to government is a guaranteed income bearing investment. Most investors fail to recognise the value in this form of investing. Yet, it's hugely important if you want to bank more than just capital profits on your investments. If you lend money to someone, you want to know that you're lending it to a person who can pay it back, along with the interest you charge. ... ››› more
If equity funds aren't for you, consider fixed-interest unit trusts…
You can use unit trusts to gain exposure to shares on the stock market, but this isn't the only option for you have with this kind of fund. You can also invest in fixed-interest unit trusts too. So what are fixed-interest unit trusts? And what type of fixed-interest funds are available to invest in? Read on to find out… The ins and outs of fixed-interest unit trusts ... ››› more
[25 November 2015]
How to get the balance right between equity unit trusts and bond unit trusts
For some investors, the idea of putting a large proportion of their investment money in equity unit trusts doesn't appeal. This is usually due to the higher risks associated with investing in shares. As well as using unit trusts to invest in shares, you can also invest in unit trusts focusing on bonds. So how should you go about deciding how to split your unit trusts between shares and bonds... ››› more
Considering investing in bond unit trusts? Here's what you need to know first…
Investing in bonds is a great way of lowering the overall risk of your portfolio. By lending governments or corporations money, you receive fixed interest payments. But bonds can seem complex. There's a host of new terms to understand. And the risk differs amongst different types of bonds. Getting to grips with these details will help you find the best bond unit trusts to invest in that a... ››› more
The benefits of investing in bonds through unit trusts
If you're investing for income, you can't ignore bonds. By investing directly in bonds you gain from twice annual interest payments until the bond matures. If you want to hold a diversified holding of bonds, an easy way to achieve this is through unit trusts. And by investing in bond funds, you can opt to invest in South African bonds or international bonds. Let's take a closer look at ho... ››› more
How to decide whether to invest in bond funds or bonds directly
If you're looking for a stable investment that pays you an income, you can't look past bonds. If you want to invest in bonds, you have two main options: You can invest in a bond unit trust or you can invest in bonds directly. So which route is best for you? Read on to uncover the pros and cons of investing in bond funds and directly… Investing in bonds: The pros and cons of unit t... ››› more
[23 January 2015]
Want to invest in international bonds? Here's how you can do it
If you're looking for income and a low-risk investment option, bonds could be for you. But what if you want to widen your horizon from the shores of South Africa? How easy is it to invest in offshore bonds? It has never been easier. Read on to find out more… Investing in international bonds If you opt to invest in South African bonds, you're limited to government bonds and South... ››› more
If you want to diversify your bonds portfolio, how about investing in bond unit trusts?
If you're nearing retirement or just don't like taking on the risks associated with investing in the stock market, chances are you'll be building up your holding in bonds. But did you know you're not just limited to buying government retail savings bonds? You can easily add company and other government bonds to your portfolio through bond unit trusts. Read on to find out how you can do this�... ››› more


After a quick breakfast with Jean-Pierre and Brigitte Fayard (Ch Sainte-Marguerite), we drove early morning to Domaine Hermitage St-Martin, owned and run by Enzo, the middle son of the Fayard family. It is based near the Provençal village of Cuers, which is situated a little more inland and slightly more elevated. He has about 25 hectares of vines planted here (clay and limestone soil and very different to Château Sainte-Marguerite which is planted on schist), with the ideal south facing aspect, and a brand new winery! Things are looking good here with plenty more projects on the way!
Next stop is to Vins Breban in Brignoles where they have been negociants for the past 70 years. They offer a wide range of mid-priced quality rosés from Provence and Corsica (Fazi, Mimi, Domaine de Paris to name a few). We tasted a big range of their 2018s and they all show classic provençal styles with pale colour, lovely light red berry fruits, round texture and mouthfeel, and most importantly a dry finish. Jean-Pierre Breban - the CEO of this family business - took us to lunch at a local restaurant (L'Auberge des Tuileries in Forcalqueiret) where we all had fantastic local fish dishes to match a wonderful white Provençal wine (in this region, whites are made predominantly from Vermentino also called Rolle in Provence – these are lesser known than the rosés but quite delicious!).
We leave Provence and head towards the Southern Rhone, where a howling 100kph plus Mistral greets us (although still sunny, it is bitterly cold!). Both our tastings this afternoon are in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. First stop was at Pierre Usseglio - one of the rockstars from this Appellation. Their 2017s (Lirac, Chateauneuf-du-Pape) were outstandingly rich, powerful, yet with a wonderful freshness, despite a high alcohol level! Thierry Usseglio was excited to show us the new Cuvee replacing 'Panorama' which will be called 'L'Unique'. It's a step up with a similar blend: Grenache, Syrah, Marsellan and a tiny bit of Mourvèdre and Merlot. Again volumes in this region have been affected by the 'coulure' (flowers don't produce fruit due to fluctuations in temperature and a wet spring) which doesn't affect quality at all, but does affect yields.
Late afternoon our final stop for the day was Domaine de la Charbonniere, although we have been buying wines from Michel and Mireille Maret for over 20 years, this estate is now run (since 2009) by daughters Veronique and Caroline. These girls are doing fantastic things here and have a great following worldwide, and NZ is no exception. Like elsewhere in this region, volumes were down 40%. We loved their 2017s, they are somewhat less forward and a bit more savoury than the last visit but have an undeniable elegance about them, perhaps the feminine touch!
The four of us went to dinner in the nearby village of Sorgues to the restaurant of "La Table de Sorgues', a very pretty building enjoyed largely by locals. We were very lucky to open a bottle of Veronique's first vintage: a special Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee from 2009. These two young girls are showing unbelievable commitment, drive and passion about their region and wines, and we have no reservation that their future is bright.
While in CNDP I always stay in the beautiful and impeccably run B&B owned by Maria and Andreas, situated in vineyards just outside the village where we will be based for the next 3 days.


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Sequoia Capital India tops list of investors in unicorns
December 06, 2021 - Updated 12:24 pm IST | Thiruvananthapuram, August 26
SoftBank, Steadview Capital at second, says Hurun 2020 List
By Vinson Kurian
This is Hurun's first attempt to showcase the success stories of investors who have endorsed their trust in unicorns from India.
Sequoia Capital India, the Indian arm of the US-based investment company, tops the list of the Hurun India Top Unicorn Investors List, 2020, brought out by the Hurun Research Institute this (Wednesday) morning. Sequoia Capital India has invested in as many as eight Indian unicorns, per this list.
The second position is shared by Japan's SoftBank and the UK's Steadview Capital with investments in seven Indian unicorns each. The Hurun India Top Unicorn Investors List 2020 sequels the launch of Hurun India Unicorn List 2020 earlier in the second week of August, says Anas Rahman Junaid, Managing Director and Chief Researcher at Hurun Report India.
First such list from Hurun
The top five unicorn investors are those who have invested in at least five unicorns in India, he explained (see table). "In order to identify the investors, we used regulatory filings and feedback from the VC funds. The list is a compilation of all the investment firms that have invested in three or more India-based unicorns as of August 20, 2020."
Anas Rahman Junaid also said this is Hurun's first attempt at showcasing the success stories of investors who have endorsed their trust in unicorns from India. "They play a significant role in accelerating the creation of new wealth in India. Their success goes on to show that Indian HNIs should actively start allocating part of their portfolio towards start-ups," he added.
The top five unicorn investors are:
Sequoia : The US-based venture capital firm Sequoia Capital made its debut in India in 2006. Till date, it has closed seven funds in India. In July 2020, it announced its intentions to invest $1.35 billion through a venture fund of $525 million and a growth fund of $825 million. Geographically, both these funds will be focussed on making investments in India and South East Asia.
SoftBan k: Japan's SoftBank has invested in some of the leading unicorns in India. The fund's leader Masayoshi Son is known for his expertise and vision in placing smart bets on the global unicorns. In 2018, the investment giant gained 60 per cent returns on its $2.5 billion investment in e-commerce company Flipkart. It is considered to be one of the biggest achievements of SoftBank in the Indian market, that too, in a single year.
Steadview Capital : In 2014, the UK-based Steadview Capital made its first investment in Urban Ladder, an online furniture company. A recent disclosure to a news agency by the firm's founder Ravi Mehta said the fund has invested $2 billion in India. Ravi Mehta of Indian origin founded the investment firm in 2009. The firm focusses on making investments in ventures that are primarily based in Asia.
SAIF Partners : With $3-billion in total assets under management, SAIF Partners largely focusses on investing in early-stage start-ups. The company announced 15 investments in India in 2019. It has already gone on record with its plans to repeat this feat in 2020 as well.
Matrix Partners : Since its establishment in India in 2006, Matrix Partners has invested more than $1 billion in the Indian market. The firm is a subsidiary of Matrix Partners of the US and participates as an early-stage investor in the market. In its third and latest fund, Matrix Partners India raised $300 million.
Nexus Ventures : Shares the fifth position on the unicorn list. Nexus is an investment firm that focusses mainly on investing in the US and India. The fund follows a pattern of investing early on in the companies. It commenced its operations in 2006, and was founded by Naren Gupta, Sandip Singhal and Suvir Sujan. In May 2019, Nexus had raised an estimated $300 million for its fifth investment fund.


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Mastered in prestigious and world-renowned International Opera Schools opera singer Vasili Karpiak has performed in numerous operas, concerts, recitals and private venues across UK and abroad. He has performed in many European countries, Monaco, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Belgium.
Vasili as an opera singer, has worked with such directors as John Copley (director London Royal Opera House Covent Garden), Jean Claude Auvray ( Grand Opera Paris France), Paul Curan (Los Angeles opera United States), Kasper Holton (Principal Director ROH Covent Garden), William Curley (artistic director of Globe theatre), opera director Martin Lloyd-Evans, Barry Bank , Michele Crider.
A few of the places he has performed in London are the Royal Albert Hall, Lancaster House, National Liberal Club, Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers, V&A museum. Vasili Karpiak was chosen numerous times to sing for The Society of The Knights of the Round Table, for the Princess Galitzine and Hermitage Foundation for the Anniversary of Romanoff dynasty London, for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and has entertained a number of Royal Families across Europe in prestigious public and private venue places and Chateaux. He has also done functions for major hotel lines, function Balls and membership clubs.
He successfully prepared Alfredo "Traviata", G.Verdi, De Grieux, "Manon" J.Massenet with David Gowland, Artistic Director of Jette Parker Programme Covent Garden London. Vasili has been supported by a Wall Trust Award, Harbour Foundation, the Fidelio Trust, Ann Driver Trust, Henry Wood Trust, The Honorable Society of The Knights of the Round Table, Serena Fenwick Trust, The Carne Trust.
Royal Albert Hall, Lancaster House, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Duchess of Marlborough, Moroccan Royal Family, Swiss Embassy, Bulgari Group, Furla Group, Harry's Dolce Vita, Tramp Club, The Society of the Knights of the Round Table, United Grand Lodge of England, the British-EU Societies for the Diamond Jubilee Concert, the V&A museum , St Paul's Cathedral, Gazprom, Investec Group, Park Plaza Hotel, The Savoy Hotel, National Liberal Club, Hermitage Foundation UK, Pomellato Jewellery Group, Lymington Choral Society, Amersham Choral Society, Sussex Opera & Ballet Society, and many others.
His repertoire consists of classical opera arias and favourite songs which he performs in Italian, French, Spanish, German, Russian and English, Italian productions being his most preferred as he is renowned for his vast Italian repertoire which he delivers with vibrant passion and heartfelt emotion.