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ROGUE ZULU
Eclectic Afrocentricity
No Honor Among Thieves (Part I)
Posted byROGUE ZULU October 25, 2019 November 4, 2019 Posted inRomulus Chronicles
Christmas shoppers are scattered about the main floor of Rich's department store like a herd of cats, carrying a multitude of shopping bags of all sizes, clad with glossy graphics and bold logos from Rich's and neighboring stores throughout the mall. Red and green ornaments the size of industrial wrecking balls hang from the ceiling throughout the store. Larger than life nutcracker soldiers guard entrance ways and stacks of boxes wrapped like presents accent every corner of the store. In the center of the main floor between the escalators stands a majestic Christmas tree reminiscent of the famous Rockefeller Plaza tree bulging with with presents, toys, ornaments, candy canes and angels. Dean Martin's "Let it Snow" softly croons from the P.A. system on every level.
At the fragrance counter stands a blonde socialite wearing a double breasted leather coat, burgundy blouse, designer jeans and black equestrian boots sampling a swab of Casmir. A fragrance specialist dressed in a white lab coat, green turtleneck and black slacks anxiously lines up more perfumes on the glass countertop before her glamorous customer. A gorgeous, curvaceous, caramel complexioned sister in her 30's with thick, curly black hair meticulously inspects her royal purple Donna Karan dress as she poses in front of a 3-way mirror in the Young Misses Apparel.
On the ground floor a frail, liver spot-encrusted guy dressed like a country club mainstay test drives a king-sized mattress in the bedding department, and a Fine China sales associate shows off her finest crystal to a young buppie couple in housewares. In Men's Apparel the tailor, a debonaire brother, tugs at the inseam and sleeve length of a his customer's new suit while standing in front of a full length mirror.
As a plain clothes, loss prevention detective one can't simply walk a beat like a uniformed mall security guard or you'll stick out like a sore thumb to thieves who are watching you just as closely as you're scanning for them. Dressing like an off duty cop or a military veteran on leave is also an easy giveaway as tactical fashion gear gives the hint that you're five-o. My choice of what I like to call retail camouflage is my favorite beat up brown leather jacket, brown hiking boots, ripped, faded jeans and a black t-shirt. Nothing says shopper like a dude with a retro 80's look.
Surfing through Emporio Armani dress shirts, and Canali suits that will never be anywhere near on sale provides a perfect cover me to hide in plain site from any would- be unsuspecting shoplifters, but down here on this middle class-crushing world called the United States, making mental pictures of these ridiculously priced threads only serves to help me find similar, more affordable brands at TJ Max on pay day. "Trone, call on line one." Vicki, one of the seasonal sales associates manning a nearby point of sale inconspicuously motions me over to her register with the phone receiver. Being called to the phone while on the floor is never a good sign. "Keep an eye out, my man," Kimetria says over the phone. "Frank just called from the Galleria location. The Nautica chicks just hit them."
Kimetria is my eyes in the sky that works behind the scenes from a remote spot we affectionately call The Bat Cave—-A small office hidden deep in the bowels of the store. She spins strategically placed 360 degree zoom lens cameras mounted behind smoked glass, and globe-shaped domes located all over the store. The Bat Cave is a small, DEFCON 1 kind of space dimly lit in an amber hue as not to create a glare on the monitors. The walls are clad with a series of monitors of all shapes and sizes that reveal dozens of different angles and viewpoints throughout the store. Two of the largest monitors serve as the main feed where fraudulent transactions and shoplifters are recorded in the act of carrying out the crimes they'll incessantly deny until the tape shows otherwise.
Kimetria, better known as "Trinie Trie" is my ride or die chick——A streetwise, comical, pragmatic kind of sister with a personality that's a cross between Stony from "Set it Off" and Josie from "Love Jones." She's easy on the eyes but we've been cool since college when we were art majors burning the midnight oil in the studio knocking out graphic design projects.
"Yeah, I kinda suspected they would be going on another spree before the Christmas rush cleans out anything worth buying." I said to her."These chicks ain't no joke," Kimetria says. "Frank said he had eyes on them the whole time but they were so quick they grabbed an armful of baby clothes, ran out the door into a blue Impala, and got halfway out the parking lot before he could get to them." This is what happens when we're spread too thin yet a store detective is still expected to handle over 2 million square feet of property single-handedly.
With stores having easy access points that are hard to cover and working double shifts, and constantly being at the ready to work random hits makes this job damn near impossible. Still, it's more exciting and fulfilling than wearing a mall cop uniform and mindlessly patrolling around with no real authority. At least here we have the power to apprehend shoplifters, charge them, and interact with law enforcement.
This gig will be a distant memory, though, when I finally get to move down to Palm Beach and start teaching in the fall. A perfect opportunity to reinvent myself and start a new life instead of living under the shadow of the Bender family name in this small town environment that is Birmingham, Alabama where the national pastime is live a vacuous existence in the same tired, simple-minded, capricious social circles.
"I'll be back up in the office in a minute to relieve you." I tell Kimetria before hanging up. "Yeah that's cool," she says. "I need to check the ladies fitting rooms anyway to make sure there aren't any stashes waiting to be picked up." She says.
One of many shoplifter's favorite moves is to stash merchandise in strategic spots out of camera view, so they can double back later when they think the coast is clear. Some are even bold enough to walk in a dressing room with an armful of clothes and walk out empty handed. Either the clothes are in the dressing room or they're wearing the merchandise on under their own clothes.
Time to slide by Belinda's register up in women's formal wear. Her smile, with those luscious, thick lips that she keeps glossed are like a hot, glazed Krispie Kreme doughnut. Those lips alone will put steam in any man's stride. Just a week ago, I strategically positioned myself right outside of the orientation room and introduced myself to her as she walked out with a crowd of newly hired sales associates. Now we're taking our lunch breaks together in the food court like a couple, which is weird since I've never bothered to engage her beyond the mall. But tonight that is all about to change.
Something about chicks like her, though. So beautiful and flawless they look out of place like an in a crowd of average females. Women like her could be anywhere like on the cover of Vogue, a magazine ad or a T.V. commercial but they're mixed up right amongst the plain Janes working mundane retail and fast food jobs. Something intriguing yet simplistic about them. Is she just a pretty face or is she quietly working a plan to become a budding actress or an R&B singer?
Walking up beside her I can get a wonderful unobstructed view of her Player's club body from behind the counter. An olympic goddess hairdo with porcelain smooth, caramel skin, hazel eyes, thick eyebrows, dimples like a 1 month old baby, perfect softball-sized breasts, a tiny, almost cartoonish waist, and a booty shaped like a Harley Davidson gas tank, finished off with muscular 100 meter dash, track star thighs and tiny feet. All of this delectable perfection accentuated by a 100% cotton, form-fitting brown with tan stripes, two piece tracksuit. Just as she finishes bagging up her customer's purchase she flashes a smile that could melt a stick of butter straight from the refrigerator.
She notices me out of her peripheral as her customer leaves. "Hey Trone, what's up?" She says as we make eye contact. All is right with the world, a warm sensation takes over my body as I close in to take in her intoxicating perfume. "Hey man, how's the detective life going?" Traci, Belinda's co-worker and confidante bounds up to the counter with an arm-full of unfolded clothes. She's an attractive, happy-go-lucky sister with a cool disposition. She's actually down with our union instead of being one of those bitter, tag-a-long, third wheel types that like to get in between a good thing out of spite.
"Sup, Traci, how's it going?" I say. All the while Belinda maintains eye contact glancing at Traci for a moment to look at her mountain of clothes. "Nothing much brother. Just getting ready to fold these clothes so, I can clock out on time for once." Traci glances at Belinda and gives her a smile. "So, where are you two going tonight?" Traci says.
"Gurl where do you think you're going?" Belinda says with a cute little smirk. "You know we're starting another one of them everything must go sales tonight." Traci's jaw drops as she completely forgot the store is having a three day weekend sale to get rid of the extra inventory they built up for the Christmas holidays. "Awww damn! That's right!" She says with total shock.
"You know Club H2O will be jamming tonight," I wittingly hinted. It would be the perfect scene for us to get away from shop talk and actually get into deeper conversation. "Your man is picking you up from work isn't he? We could all go together." I suggested to Traci, hinting at the idea that we could double date and have the time of our lives. "Yeah! That would be cool!" Traci says.
I glanced back at Belinda to read her reaction. "What do you think? You down?" I asked her with the most charming smile I could bestow. "Oh yeah, I haven't been to H2O yet," she said with an agreeing smile. "I heard their buffet is the bomb!" She says. Traci breaks out in a little jig dance to celebrate the coming get down. Belinda gives a sexy little chuckle as she looks at me to see my reaction to Traci's celebratory jam. "You so crazy!" says through her sexy little chuckle.
"Back to the grind. I'll see you ladies later." I said as I walked away back toward the Bat-Cave. They both chimed in with an "Okay," and started folding shirts and pants. As I walked down the center isle I spotted a shady dude out of my peripheral on the other end of women's apparel with a dress wrapped over his shoulder. I quickly cut a right turn into a sea of dresses pretending not to notice him. As soon as I'm out of his sight I slipped around the opposing isle and zigzagged through the handbags where I could position myself to be standing just out of his view to his left.
My heart is racing as maintained a laser lock on this dude to check him out. He's a wiry, light-skinned dude in his late teens, early 20's dressed like a small-time, wannbe rapper in a baggy Fubu gear and tan Timberline work boots. This does not look like the kind of guy that would be out shopping for his girl let alone date a chick that would wear the kind of clothes he's holding.
Published by ROGUE ZULU
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Before entering Bollywood, the 28-year-old actress completed her B. Tech degree from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida. Just around that time she started taking up ad-hoc modeling gigs, the TV commercials of Vivel, Amul, Close Up being few of them. Soon she found herself walking prestigious ramps of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, India International Jewelry week, and Chennai International Fashion week and in 2014, Kriti bagged her first movie, 1: Nenokkadine.
The obsession over engineering as a career is devouring this country and its youth, for no other talent is recognized by parents and teachers these days.
While art, music, sports are losing its potential champions to coding and the chase for H1B, there are engineers who gave up on that lucrative job to pursue their passion.
Meet 11 of them from Bollywood.


In August we looked for the more mature dram. We tasted 3 bottles of different 18 year old Scotch from 3 different regions. These were Highland, Island and Speyside.
Well, actually, if you are being picky Highland Park which is based on Orkney could be considered part of the Highland region but that is another conversation for another day. We brought out The Glenlivet 18 again and added 2 big hitters.
We were also lucky enough to have the following bottles to add some breadth to our line up.
This 18 yr old has had 15 years of maturation in Bourbon hogsheads, Makers Mark to be specific. It is then finished for the final 3 years in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks.
This combination gives this 18 yr a sweet, woody nose that is rich in fruit, spiced berries, cinnamon and puffs of smoke.
On the palate it is smooth and sweet. You can taste the bourbon influence right off. There is a low level dry spiciness and subtle smoke. I expected more oak on the palate as promised by the nose but it is pleasingly subtle and not as strong as expected. There is an hint of citrus and a lovely honey finish which is long and sherried.
It is not as complex as some but this is a great well rounded expression which is really worth trying. Good stuff!
This bottle was the star of the show!!! Gold in a glass.
The nose gives you oak, honey, heather, smoke. It smells wonderfully complex and inviting.
On the palate it is rich and full. Honey, a bit of peat, oak, smoke, warming sweet dark fruits.
The finish is soft and yet long.
A beautifully balanced bottle. Truly worth every penny.
This is a big hitting Islay malt with massive flavours!
The nose is soft yet full, Smokey, salty sea spray with a whiff of burnt bacon. There is a lemon undertone which is covered by a powerful peat aroma.
Your first taste brings strong Smoke, fruit, sweet spices with a smooth oily texture. This is a rich peaty punch with a sales caramel flavour. It has a long finish which leaves the tongue tingling and the mouth wanting more.
As an experience it is something you want to last. If you haven't tried it buy a bottle! Pound for pound this is a serious contender. I can't think of anything for the same money that delivers such flavour, quality, complexity and class.
This is an award winning Irish Whiskey with real class.
The nose is sweet like chantilly cream and sherry trifle. Rich and thick and full of promise.
It is smooth and very creamy with vanilla, citrus, ripe fruits and sherry and a long finish.
Adding a drop of water doesn't reduce the punch but does release more flavours.
What a great find! This is a bargain and to my mind and I really love it. If you haven't tried it, add it to your wish list now.
This is the 2012 limited edition release from the Laphroaig distillery. Now no longer available in the shops so if you see a bottle grab it.
On the nose at first I get a hint of zesty lemon. The peatiness is more subtle than the 10yo but complements the lemon nicely.
Cigar smoke dominates the palate but there's definitely a strong fresh citrus edge underlying this.
With a touch of water the peat is more pronounced on the nose with a mellower lemon edge. It's actually like a peatier-than-average Bowmore. I get a more orange flavoured palate now, like orange and lemon peel dragged through charcoal. I can also detect a hint of caramel too.
The finish is lingering cigar smoke with a bit of zest.
Delicious stuff - if there is such a thing as a subtle and calm Laphroaig then this is it.
Another bottle you cant buy in the shops. This is a "Travel Exclusive" which means it is only on sale in Duty Free. This has no age statement and is non chill filtered.
The nose is bursting with sea spray and brine. Underneath that we have toffee and slight floral hints. Seaweed and very slight peatiness evident, (but not what I'd call smoky). I also get a touch of citrus, marzipan with vanilla becoming more evident as it opens up.
Lovely thick rich mouthfeel with sweet caramel, toffee and saltiness. Slightly spicy. I can detect vanilla and sultanas too but only slightly.
Medium finish which ends on a drying note with a very slight hint of bitterness which is not at all unpleasant.
Not bad at all. Think I rate this somewhere between the 17 and 21yo expressions.


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Call for participants: RAN Practitioners Study Visit on the Swedish approach to tackling Violent Right-Wing Extremism, 06-07 March 2023
We are looking for participants that are interested to join the upcoming study visit on the Swedish approach to tackling Violent Right-Wing Extremism.
Spotlight on The Year in Review 2022
This edition of the Spotlight looks backs at several emerging P/CVE challenges and highlights key events. It provides an update on the main activities delivered.
Call for participants: RAN Mental Health 'Enhancing the cooperation between mental health practitioners and security forces in P/CVE', 28-29 March 2023
We are looking for suitable participants for the RAN Mental Health Working Group meeting on 'Enhancing the cooperation between mental health practitioners and security forces in P/CVE'.
Call for Working Group Leaders
Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) is looking for three future candidates to replace one of the two working group leaders in each of the following working groups: LOCAL, Families Communities & Social Care (FCS) and Youth & Education working group (WG).
Call for participants: RAN Practitioners Study Visit to the Netherlands on the Multi-Agency Approach to Rehabilitation of Radicalised Detainees (MAR), 22-23 February 2023
This study visit to the Netherlands aims to provide an opportunity for participants to learn from and exchange about the Multi Agency Approach to Rehabilitation of Radicalised Detainees, a national programme organised by the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency.
Call for participants: How to prevent and mitigate anti-government extremism at the local level? Restoring normality, rebuilding trust and networks at the local level
The aim of this meeting is to exchange experiences and examples of the prevention and countering work aimed at mitigating the effects of anti-government extremism at the local level. Online working group meeting of RAN LOCAL on 6 and 10 March 2023
Survey: The effects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on your P/CVE work
RAN Practitioners is looking to collect input from practitioners on their experience with the impact of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on their daily P/CVE practice.
Call to register interest: RAN YOUNG platform
The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) is announcing an open call for participation in the 2023 RAN YOUNG Platform. It is an invitation to the next generation of influential first-line practitioners between the age of 18-25 in the field of prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE).
RAN Practitioners Update 106 | December 2022
To do this, we feature the latest edition of the Spotlight magazine, and the latest episodes of the Special Report and The View. In this issue of the RAN Practitioners Update, we also take a look at the important role of civil society in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE).
Spotlight on Civil Society
In this Spotlight, RAN practitioners and experts from outside of the network, share their insights on the important role of civil society in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE).
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tephrosia varians är en ärtväxtart som först beskrevs av Jacob Whitman Bailey, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av Cyril Tenison White. Tephrosia varians ingår i släktet Tephrosia och familjen ärtväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Ärtväxter
varians

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For catering please order from our Innaloo or Warwick stores.
Our Karrinyup store has just moved to a location near Woolworths, where you can enjoy your Miss Maud treats dining in our lovely lounge or takeaway. If you are looking for catering options or pre-ordering cakes, please order from either our Innaloo or Warwick stores.


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Q: Нейросеть. Почему точность обучения больше 100% Скажите по какой причине в принципе точность обучения нейросети (tensorflow>keras) может быть больше единицы (больше 100%)?
>>> Итерация 2 из 36  >>>  2021-02-27 09:43:43.045483
F1::1 Op3::1<>Ls2::1<>Ac1::1<>St1::1<>Lr2::1<>Mt3::2
Op=ftrl_004_07 <> Ls=BCE <> Mt=kl_div
Сигналов в обучающей выборке: [1801. 1780. 2859.] > На валидацию [ 360 356 571 ]
Сигналов в тестовой выборке:  [444. 448. 719.]
51/51 [==============================] - 0s 706us/step - loss: 0.5868 - kullback_leibler_divergence: 1.0058

Параметры модели:
Оптимизатор: ftrl_004_07
Фн.Потерь:   BCE
> Размерность слоёв:
>>> Входной слой = 65
>>>>>> Скрытых слоёв -- 1
>>>>>>>> 1-й слой    = 42
>>>>>>>>>>> активация  = 'selu'
>>> >> слой имеет dropout = 0.3
>>> Выходной слой    = 3
>>>>>>>>>>> активация  = 'softmax'
Метрика = kl_div
<<< Обучение модели длилось: 0:08:07.184815, эпох: 2446 (2397) <<< 2021-02-27 09:51:50.231298

fit  > loss,     accuracy:     [ 0.5820409060    0.9975788593 ]
fit  > val_loss, val_accuracy: [ 0.5890457630    1.0094249249 ]
test > loss,     accuracy:     [ 0.5868121386    1.0058239698 ]

Что бы пояснить
ftrl_004_07 = optimizers.Ftrl(learning_rate_power=-0.7)
BCE = losses.BinaryCrossentropy()
kl_div = metrics.KLDivergence()

Я только могу предположить, что то-то "не срастается" между оптимизатором, потерями и метрикой.
И никак не могу найти что с чем нужно использовать...
К тому же, приведённый пример ещё не самый странный. Бывает что абсолютно все значения выше единицы. В том числе и потери...
>>> Итерация 8 из 36  >>>  2021-02-27 11:33:47.224657
F1::1 Op3::1<>Ls2::2<>Ac1::1<>St1::1<>Lr2::1<>Mt3::2
Op=ftrl_004_07 <> Ls=KL_div <> Mt=kl_div
Сигналов в обучающей выборке: [1801. 1780. 2859.] > На валидацию [ 360 356 571 ]
Сигналов в тестовой выборке:  [444. 448. 719.]
51/51 [==============================] - 0s 745us/step - loss: 1.0051 - kullback_leibler_divergence: 1.0051

Параметры модели:
Оптимизатор: ftrl_004_07
Фн.Потерь:   KL_div
> Размерность слоёв:
>>> Входной слой = 65
>>>>>> Скрытых слоёв -- 1
>>>>>>>> 1-й слой    = 42
>>>>>>>>>>> активация  = 'selu'
>>> >> слой имеет dropout = 0.3
>>> Выходной слой    = 3
>>>>>>>>>>> активация  = 'softmax'
Метрика = kl_div
<<< Обучение модели длилось: 0:04:38.388074, эпох: 1349 (1300) <<< 2021-02-27 11:38:25.613730

fit  > loss,     accuracy:     [ 0.9976955652    0.9976955652 ]
fit  > val_loss, val_accuracy: [ 1.0087591410    1.0087591410 ]
test > loss,     accuracy:     [ 1.0051449537    1.0051449537 ]

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Justin Timberlake postpones New York City show due to bruised vocal chords
ANI New Delhi, Delhi, India Oct 25, 2018, 12.06 PM(IST)
File photo of Justin Timberlake Photograph:( Zee News Network )
'Hey guys, I`m sorry to announce I have to postpone the show at MSG tonight on doctor`s orders. My vocal cords are severely bruised,' shared Justin Timberlake on social media.
Justin Timberlake had to postpone his New York City show on Wednesday due to "severely bruised" vocal cords.
The `Say Something` singer, who was set to perform at the Madison Square Garden, took to social media to make the announcement.
The 37-year-old also informed his fans that he will make it up to them by performing for on his birthday on January 31.
"Hey guys, I`m sorry to announce I have to postpone the show at MSG tonight on doctor`s orders. My vocal cords are severely bruised," the singer revealed on Instagram.
A post shared by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Oct 24, 2018 at 1:26pm PDT
"I`m gonna make this up to you and the new show will be on my birthday.""More info to come. Again, I`m so sorry to do this, but excited to see you soon. Love, J," he added.
Timberlake has been busy performing as part of his ongoing Man of the Woods Tour.
Apart from that, the singer is gearing up for the release of his first book, `Hindsight & All the Things I Can`t See In Front of Me`.
According to his website, the book will 'give readers a peek into Timberlake`s creative process through an intimate collection of images from his personal archives that range from childhood to the present day.' It will be available in bookstores and on the web on October 30.


The perfect combination of country and modern style, the Shoal Creek Collection from Sauder Woodworking is a welcome addition to any office or home. With its rich Espresso finish, Nickel-finish bin-style drawer pulls, and tapered legs, Shoal Creek has an inviting, casual appearance you're sure to love!
The Shoal Creek Executive Desk provides plenty of workspace and storage to help you handle any task that comes your way. Large pencil drawer has a drop-front panel for conversion to a keyboard/laptop tray. Two utility drawers hold office supplies and roll on metal runners with safety stops. Two letter-size file drawers boast full-extension glides for effortless operation. Desk top has a handy grommet hole for wire routing. Back of desk is fully finished.
Shoal Creek is built to be as durable as it is beautiful. Top-quality engineered wood construction with rugged laminate surfaces will bring you years of dependable use!
Very nice office desk. Precisely manufactured and a very good value. Assembly instructions straight forward ... follow them closely and exactly to avoid frustration. I would recommend that Sauder use CAM Screws for the top ... not Twist-Lock Fasteners. The Twist Locks are inferior to old fashion CAM Screws and hidden CAMS, and the hardest step was #15 , fitting the top to the rest of the unit. I found it difficult to align 17 Twist-Locks all at once ... it would have been easier with CAM Screws.
This desk is very sturdy and huge. Be sure to measure and that it is in fact the size you need. More space means more clutter! It is a nice piece of furniture, which I purchased along with two of the matching bookcases. The set looks great in my library! The drawers are good sizes, especially the file drawers (although the top drawer only pulls out halfway). There is a handy hole in the top to feed cords through to hide them. I have plenty of leg room, although my husband will bang his legs on the backside (he's 6'3", but he doesn't use the desk). A couple of flaws and problems with this desk. One, it is time consuming to assembe. My handy husband took three hours to assemble it. Two, the desk top shows finger prints and smudges, especially if you are in a well lit location. Three, the drawers are slightly skewed. They do not line up perfectly. Four, the corners of the desk are very sharp! Be careful if you have small children, or even your self if you bang into it. Finally, the front drawer was missing some drilled holes, which we called customer service about. Customer service was very prompt and helpful & sent out a new piece immediately. And finally, of course, it isn't real wood, nor does it look like it. However, definitely a beautiful piece of furniture for the price, if you can overlook the above flaws!!
I really like the desk it looks good. I do have 1 problem with it. The drawer slider for one of the drawers was bent when I got it and does not work. I will need to find a new one for it. Other than that I like the desk.
Quality control is a joke..
I assembled this on my own. After taking five trips to carry 200lbs of very sharp-edged pieces into my apartment, I spent no less than THREE HOURS putting this thing together. To whoever suggested that no power tools would be necessary is a dirty liar; there are easily over 100 screws and twistlock fasteners that would cause carpal tunnel in any normal person's wrist. All said and done, I had to drill three holes on one of the legs (because there were NONE pre-drilled), several of the desktop holes were between 1/8-1/4" off preventing some of the MANY twistlock fasteners to miss, and two of the four drawers do not slide smoothly (even tho I spent 20mins trying to adjust the levels of the rails). I imagine this could be a very nice desk, but quality control at the factory is apparently a joke, if it exists at all. I will definitely steer clear from any assemble-it-yourself Sauder products in the future. What a disappointment.
I love the look of the finished product but it took my husband forever to put it together :-) But he did a great job and did it right the first time! Lots of pieces and parts. I would say it was about 6 hours or so.
Home office use. Very good quality. Large in size...make sure you have the space for it. I needed help to flip it over before the final step...very heavy. I am very satisfied with my purchase. I may purchase matching pieces, if I have a need later. I love Sauder products.
This is a very professional looking executive desk that adds style to the room you put it in.
We're sorry the desk came to you scratched and that parts were not labeled. Please call us at 800-933-0053 so that we can assist you with a solution. Thank you!
I consider myself handy and assembly was not complicated but it took a bit of time. I suggest that folks label the hardware and add additional labels on the pieces to be assembled before starting assembly. That will save time since many of the pieces look alike. Great customer service. My desk top was damaged and I got a replacement for Sauder in four business days! The fit and finish of the final assembled product is good. The desk looks just as good as it did in the web pictures. Desk is heavy and I have placed plastic floor protectors on the bottom of the feet and I can move the desk rather easily on carpet with these in place.
i bought this for my home office as I wanted a bigger desk. The only disappointment I had was with the drawers as I thought it would be 3 drawers but only 2 on each side. The top of the desk corner was smashed as they could do better packing the desk.


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Friends of the Lake District
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Kindness Corner
Features and Poetry
Leaders Landscape Training
West Cumbria Coal Mine
Update 11th January 2021
We were very disappointed to hear on Friday that the Government has decided not to call in Cumbria County Council's decision to allow a new coal mine to be built near Whitehaven. We agree with Friends of the Earth and the World Wide Fund for Nature and others that this is the wrong decision in the face of climate emergency.
Read more: Jenrick criticised over decision not to block new Cumbria coal mine
We, along with several other organisations including the World Wide Fund for Nature, have written to the Secretary of State requesting that he 'call in', or reconsider, Cumbria County Council's decision to approve a new coal mine near Whitehaven.
An Article 31 holding direction has now been placed on this application, to allow the Secretary of State time to consider whether call in is warranted. This means that Cumbria County Council cannot issue a decision notice until the Secretary of State has decided whether he will call in the application.
Our concerns about this proposal relate primarily to climate change, which will affect many aspects of our lives and the environment both within and outside protected landscapes.
We recognise that many support the scheme on the basis that it will provide jobs for the area. While this is of course important, we share the view of many others that in the context of climate emergency (as has been declared by the County Council), the economy should be supported in ways that will also help us to avoid or mitigate the issues of climate change, and not in ways that will further exacerbate them or that will make it more difficult to address them.
Read more on the BBC website: Whitehaven coal mine approved for third time
Published: 1st January, 1900
Author: Chris James
Highlights - Recent Planning Cases
Virtual Dark Skies Festival to Light Up Your Screens
The Cumbria Dark Skies Festival promises to light up our February evenings with a spectacular array of online events celebrating the wonders of the night sky.
Picturing the Westmorland Dales
A film showcasing the work of six local primary schools using 'land art' creations to celebrate local landmarks and nature in a celebrating of the Westmorland Dales.
A Postcard from the Lakes 8th January 2021
In this edition: Stories of kindness and inspiration, Cumbria Dark Skies Festival 2021 and film of some amazing artwork created by children in the Westmorland Dales
Walkers in the Lake District urged to stick to paths
Walkers in the Lake District urged to stick to paths, reducing damage to landscapes and wildlife, as social distancing increases erosion
Proposed Car Park at The Swan, Grasmere
A new 52-space car park is proposed at the Swan Hotel, Grasmere. We share the local community's concerns over what this will mean for the landscape and settlement character,
Please help to secure The Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill
It's not often that an opportunity comes along to change national legislation to improve the quality of our water, but we have one right now.
Local Occupancy Properties
We welcome plans to create a definitive list of properties subject to local occupancy clauses in the Lake District following calls from a Keswick Councillor and local residents.
30th April 2020: A roundup of our policy work featuring commons. Including Birkbeck, Kendal, Crosby Ravensworth, Armboth Fells and the Common Cause Project.
5G Phone Masts
There is clearly a need for an improvement in connectivity both for personal use and in helping to sustain and develop our vital rural economies but there is a balance to be struck.
NWCC Pylons project across Cumbria dropped by National Grid
Glover Landscape Review
We welcome the Government's independent review of England's National Parks and AONBs launched in October. Julian Glover who leads the review has published a letter (July 2019) which details the review panel's interim findings.
Lake District Local Plan Review
The LDNPA has now issued a consultation on the main changes that are proposed to the emerging Local Plan following the Examination hearings in 2019. Comments can be made on the changes between 29th October 2020 and 11th December 2020.
Consultation on a proposed Car Park at Ullock Moss, Portinscale
A planning application was submitted to the Lake District National Park for a new car park at Ullock Moss to the south of Portinscale just before Christmas. You may want to comment on this.
Play your part in protecting the Lake District by becoming a member today.
Learn new skills and join our army of volunteers helping us to make a practical difference to the Lake District all year round.
Aerial Flight at Honister Slate Mine
We received the disappointing news that the Secretary of State will not 'call in' the proposed zip-wires at Honister and so the Authority's approval stands. The Secretary of State is no longer required to give reasons for his decision.
Thirlmere Activity Hub
We consider this to be a wholly inappropriate development in this location. We urge you to take immediate action, write to the Planning Authority and share your concerns about this threat to Thirlmere
Welcome to our shop. View all the latest products from our charity.
Chief Executive - Douglas Chalmers
Douglas Chalmers joined us in April 2015. He grew up on his family's farm on the North East coast of Aberdeenshire, and studied agriculture at the University of Aberdeen.
Protecting the landscapes of Cumbria for future generations
Love the Lake District? Become a member of Friends of the Lake District and join thousands of like minded people in caring for this unique landscape.
We're looking for images from around Cumbria to use on our 2017 Friends of the Lake District Christmas Card collection and 2018 Calendar. Closing Date 16th June 2017
RT @faerymere: As at lunchtime on #Wednesday the lake level remains 'acceptable' with minimal field and garden floo… https://t.co/kPMRp1Z6UD
20thJanuary, 2021 @Friendsoflakes
Good to work with you @UKCEH_LakeEco https://t.co/Je1ZuXKo5M
Cumbria Dark Skies Festival 2021 - Fri 5th - Sun 21st February. Tiffany Francis-Baker shares insights and learning… https://t.co/uNGoAnp81M
Our aim is to:
Care for the scenic beauty, rich wildlife and historic heritage of our county's landscapes;
Ensure Cumbria's landscapes are passed on to future generations in as good or better condition than they are now;
Encourage people to appreciate our special county – everyone has a right to enjoy Cumbria's magnificent landscapes
Keep up to date with our work, campaigns, fundraising, events and other ways you can support our aims.
View Friends of the Lake District's Privacy Policy here. We use MailChimp to send out newsletters by email. View MailChimp's Privacy Policy here
Our office is now closed to protect staff and in line with Government advice. Staff will be working from home and we will have access to our incoming post. You can contact us on the office phone 01539 720788 which is being diverted but please leave a message if we do not answer straight away. Email [email protected] as usual.
Murley Moss
Oxenholme Road
Cumbria LA9 7SS
Gift Aid Form


Not too dry or sweet, Michelle Brut is a palate-pleasing sparkling wine that delivers aromas and flavors of apples and citrus with a light, toasty finish.
For nearly 40 years, Domaine Ste. Michelle has crafted traditional French-style sparkling wines using premium grapes from Washington state's Columbia Valley. Crafted in the traditional Méthode Champenoise, Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling wines have delicate varietal aromas and flavors that are beautifully balanced by the fruit's natural acidity.
Domaine Ste. Michelle is owned and operated by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.


text:
Indian Defence Forum
Home Forums > Indian Defence | Indian Military | Foreign Affairs > Indian Air Force >
Welcome to IDF- Indian Defence Forum , register for free to join this friendly community of defence enthusiastic from around the world. Make your opinion heard and appreciated.
Kaveri Engine Program : News and Updates
Discussion in 'Indian Air Force' started by BlueOval, Aug 9, 2010.
what type of engine should we have attempted as our first one??
Poll closed Jan 5, 2017.
variable cycle engine
conventional engine
BlueOval Captain SENIOR MEMBER
Any News update and press releases by GOI regarding Kaveri Engine Program to be posted in this thread.
BlueOval, Aug 9, 2010
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri C Rajendran in Lok Sabha Monday, August 02, 2010
The project for design and development of Kaveri engine was sanctioned to achieve the interim flight standard for LCA 'Tejas' integration. Though the Kaveri engine was not fully meeting the requirement of LCA 'Tejas', it provided a platform for gas turbine technology development in the country.
This project was the first indigenous aero-engine development project in the country. Besides, some of the reasons for delay in the project are:-
(i) Ab-initio development of state-of-the-art gas turbine technologies.
(ii) Technical/technological complexities.
(iii) Lack of availability of critical equipment & materials and denial of technologies by the technologically advanced countries.
(iv) Lack of availability of test facilities in the country necessitating testing abroad.
(v) Non availability of skilled/technically specialized manpower.
Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) associated itself with a premier scientific organisation of Russia i.e., Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) with an objective of fine tuning of Kaveri engine performance. This association brought GTRE per se Kaveri project in higher platform, resulting in successful completion of one major milestone i.e. altitude testing, simulating Kaveri engine performance at different altitude and Mach No. Subsequently, one of Kaveri prototype (K9) is being integrated with IL-76 aircraft at Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI), Russia for ground and flight tests, of Flying Test Bed (FTB) trials, this will be the second major milestone to be achieved. These two milestones would make 'Kaveri engine flightworthy.
PIB Press Release
Kaveri a boost to gas turbine engine tech: Govt
The DRDO-made 'Kaveri' engine could not be integrated with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) but it has provided a platform for the development of gas turbine engine technology in the country, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"Though the Kaveri engine was not fully meeting the requirement of LCA 'Tejas', it provided a platform for gas turbine technology development in India," Defence Minister A K Antony said in reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
The design and development of Kaveri was sanctioned for the LCA 'Tejas' fighter aircraft programme.
Talking about the milestones achieved by the engine project, the Minister said DRDO has tied up with a Russian scientific organisation Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) for fine-tuning of the Kaveri engine's performance.
"This association brought the project in higher platform, resulting in successful completion of one major milestone of altitude testing, simulating Kaveri engine performance at different altitude and Mach No," he added.
Antony said that one of engine prototypes 'K9' is being integrated with IL-76 aircraft at Gromov Flight Research Institute in Russia for ground and test bed trials.
jagjitnatt Major ELITE MEMBER
Kaveri engine compressor blades pics
jagjitnatt, Aug 29, 2010
Guynextdoor Lt. Colonel SENIOR MEMBER
Suppperbbb dude. Kaveri uses SBC. I have been asking around how we can ask for a 'world class' engine without SBC- kaveri, for all it's flaws really kicks ass.
Guynextdoor, Aug 29, 2010
Arjun MBT Captain SENIOR MEMBER
Jagjit bhai, is that Indian SCB technology, or any TOT???? Man I cant believe it....
Arjun MBT, Aug 30, 2010
Almost forgot this thread:
Kaveri engine flight testing successful
India's indigenous aircraft engine, Kaveri, was successfully flight tested at Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow, the DRDO saidon Wednesday.
The test was conducted at the Flying Test Bed at Gromov, with the engine running right from the take-off to landing, flying for a period of over 1 hour up to an altitude of 6,000 metres yesterday, it said in a press release here.
The engine helped the IL-76 aircraft test bed fly at speeds of 0.6 mach in its maiden flight, according to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
"The engine control, performance and health during the flight were found to be excellent. With this test, Kaveri engine has completed a major milestone of development programme," it added
During the coming months, further 50 or 60 test flights would be carried out to mature the engine in terms of reliability, safety and airworthiness, it said.
These trials will pave the way for further flight trials of Kaveri engine with a fighter aircraft.
"An existing IL-76 aircraft was modified as a flying test bed for this trial with Kaveri engine replacing one of the four engines of the aircraft. The modifications included instrumentation required for trials as well as integration of mechanical, electrical and fuel system," the release said.
The engine was controlled by the pilot from the cockpit and a number of taxi trials were carried out with the engine integrated with the aircraft, before the maiden flight. The engine data was recorded in the aircraft as well as transmitted to ground station by telemetry.
DRDO Chief Controller (Aeronautics and Services Integration) was present during the flight trial.
Kaveri is being developed for fighter aircraft at the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bangalore with the active support of several other DRDO labs, academic institutions and industry partners.
During development phase, Kaveri engine has successfully completed various stages of development including component testing, safety tests, ground-based engine tests, and endurance tests, both at GTRE as well as at test bed facilities abroad.
BlueOval, Jan 7, 2011
Further tests on 'Kaveri' aircraft engine in January
India's first indigenously developed fighter aircraft engine 'Kaveri' will undergo further analysis in January in Moscow, a top government official has said.
T Mohana Rao, Director, Gas Turbine Research Establishment of the Defence ministry, said the weather there is not suitable for now and more tests on the engine will be conducted by end of January or early February.
The Kaveri engine which will be used for the 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft was successfully tested last month in an aircraft in Moscow.
The test data analysis indicated that the engine performance was as per the design intent, he said adding unless these engines are tested for thousands of hours, the right configuration cannot be achieved.
Central Chronicle - Madhya Pradesh's News Portal
Kaveri Test on January?? Well thats Interesting Indeed, there was a news regarding the Single Crystal Blade, Has that been engineered into kaveri?
Arjun MBT, Jan 7, 2011
CONNAN Major ELITE MEMBER
Price negotiations for JV for fighter engine in advanced stage
India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) expects to close price negotiations in a month for a joint venture (JV) with French engine maker Snecma to develop gas turbine engines that would power the Indian Air Force's light combat aircraft (LCA).
The move to partner Snecma follows DRDO's failure to develop sufficiently powerful engines on its own after spending 2,880 crore over two decades on the project.
While Snecma will bring in critical technology for the hot engine core, DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) will work on the cold sections around it.
"GTRE will have 50% technology work-share and Snecma will have the other half. We will be closing price negotiations within a month," said Prahlada, chief controller, research and development, DRDO, who goes by one name.
GTRE will obtain complete know-how and intellectual property rights for the engine, Prahlada added. After the closure and approval from the cabinet committee on security, work will begin in three months and the engine will be designed and built in four years, another GTRE official said, requesting anonymity.
The Kaveri engine, developed by GTRE, is undergoing trials in Russia and is nowhere near developing the level of thrust needed to power the LCA. The Kaveri has a thrust of around 65 kilo newton (kN), while 90 kN or more is required to power the LCA for optimal performance. The engine is also much heavier than specified. Nonetheless, some of the technologies and components developed for the Kaveri will be used in the JV.
Because of the delay in developing the Kaveri, India opted for American GE-404 engines. The current Mk-I LCAs are flying with the GE-404 IN20, although even these do not meet original requirement specifications for levels of thrust for the LCA. In October, DRDO selected the more powerful GE-414 as the alternative engine for LCA Mk-II.
Prahlada declined to reveal the estimated cost of the Snecma-GTRE project, but said the new engine will be comparable in pricing and performance to the GE-414. DRDO plans to replace the GE engines on the LCA Mk-I with the Snecma-GTRE engine. "We have plans to fit the engine on all platforms, including the proposed advanced medium combat aircraft and unmanned combat air vehicle," Prahlada said.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will manufacture the engines in India. Prahlada said the agreement is to make 100 engines in the first batch.
Ratan Shrivastava, director for aerospace and defence practice for South and West, Frost and Sullivan, said the project's value lay in the fact that India will finally have a flying fighter engine of its own, albeit with a foreign partner.
Price negotiations for JV for fighter engine in advanced stage - Home - livemint.com
CONNAN, Jan 31, 2011
SpArK SorCeroR Staff Member ADMINISTRATOR
Kaveri engine set for Indian combat plane
Senior research officials in India say they are confident the indigenous, and delayed, Kaveri jet engine will power the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
The Kaveri has been under development for around 20 years by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment, a laboratory division of the government's Defense Research and Development Organization in Bangalore, India.
The GTRE has been working with other DRDO labs, academic institutions and industry partners. It also began working with French engine manufacturer Snecma, part of the Safran Group, in early 2008 to improve the Kaveri's performance.
Technical and bureaucratic delays have meant around $455 million has been spent on the engine, expected to be ready by 2017.
The hookup with Snecma has meant a likely boost in thrust that will make it suitable for the AMCA, a DRDO official told the Press Trust of India.
He said the engine has been able to produce 70-75 kilo newtons of thrust. However, Indian air force and other stakeholders are looking for 90-95 KN.
"I think with the joint venture Snecma in place now, we would be able to achieve these parameters in near future," he told PTI.
The 150 twin-engine Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft are expected to be in service beginning in 2020 and will complement the Tejas, a single-engine Light Combat Aircraft. The AMCA are to replace the air force's aging SEPECAT Jaguar and Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft.
The Kaveri engine began development in 1986 and was designed originally for Tejas that first flew in January 2001. The Indian air force is likely to need 200 single-seat and 20 two-seat trainers. The Indian navy is said to want up to 40 single-seaters to replace its aging fleet of Sea Harrier FRS51 and Harrier T60.
The government's Aeronautical Development Agency, set up in Bangalore in 1984 to oversee development of the Tejas, also is leading on work for the AMCA.
General Electric's GE F404 engine has been powering prototype Tejas aircraft. Late last year the Ministry of Defense said until the Kaveri engine is ready, India will use the upgraded GE F414 engines for the first 100 Tejas aircraft, expected to be in service later this year.
The F414 units are an afterburning turbofan engine developed from the F404 turbofan for use in the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
In 2004, the Kaveri failed high-altitude tests in Russia, ending hopes of installing in it the first Tejas aircraft. But the engine passed a milestone in November when India used an Ilyushin Il-76 transport as a test bed flown at Russia's Gromov Flight Research Institute near Moscow.
The engine was tested from takeoff to landing and flew for more than an hour up to an altitude of 19,700 feet at a speed of Mach 0.6 in its maiden flight, a statement by India's defense ministry said at the time.
The pilot controlled the engine and a number of taxi trials were carried out before the flight. However, ministry didn't issue performance details, such as engine thrust, a problem with the engine in the past.
Up to 60 test flights are envisaged to bring it up to acceptable reliability, safety and airworthiness before putting it into a fighter aircraft.
Kaveri engine set for Indian combat plane
SpArK, Feb 4, 2011
tingumaster FULL MEMBER
Kaveri engine is totally waste of time and money...DRDO almost spent 18 yrs to develop this crap...
tingumaster, Feb 4, 2011
Ganimi kawa FULL MEMBER
tingumaster said: ↑
Hey tingumaster, you can say that Kaveri was developed crappily.
But if you say that a turbojet with 70-75 kN thrust with FADEC is crap, then mate........
Just check the project timelines of all countries with jet engine technology and you'll realise that it is not exactly a walk in the park!
P.S.Do you think that the engines for future cruise missiles like Nirbhay will appear out of thin air?
jagjitnatt said: ↑
@Jagjit sir,
Does this slide mean that we have developed SCB tech for Kaveri?
Ganimi kawa, Feb 4, 2011
^^^ oh hell your right...it was worth spending 3000 crores for single crystal blades alone.
Guynextdoor, Feb 4, 2011
Chief of Russia's flight test agency: India's indigenous Turbofan Engine, Kaveri
CONNAN, Feb 16, 2011
Rafeal Engine and Kaveri
DaRk KnIght, Sep 4, 2010, in forum: Indian Air Force
randomradio
DRDO says its Kaveri engine can power combat drones, warships and possibly trains
flanker143, Aug 17, 2011, in forum: Indian Defence Industry
tariqkhan18
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) : News and Updates
Manmohan Yadav, Oct 19, 2011, in forum: Indian Defence Industry
Hindustani78
Current News (From all news Channels and News Papers)
designer2cad, Nov 20, 2013, in forum: Internal Affairs
designer2cad
General News, Questions And Discussions : Indian Navy
Ankit Kumar 001, Oct 23, 2016, in forum: Indian Navy


text:
Ethiopians in Diaspora
Faculty in the News, Feb. 18
Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) spoke at a seminar organized by Ethiopia's Supreme Court and a previously published quote by Brian Levin (criminal justice) was included in an article on white supremacists' propaganda activity.
Faculty in the News, Feb. 4
An article co-written by Meredith Conroy (political science) was cited in a news report about making Utah elections 'friendlier to women,' and Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) wrote about the transformation of Ethiopia.
Faculty in the News, Jan. 23
Mary Fong (communication studies), Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) and Breanna Putman (biology) were included in recent news coverage on various topics related to their expertise.
Richard Addante (psychology), James Brown (English), Brian Levin (criminal justice), Kelly Campbell (psychology) and Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) were included in recent news coverage.
Faculty in the News, Jan. 8
Carmen Jany (world languages and literatures), David Yaghoubian (history), Brian Levin (criminal justice) and Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) were included in news coverage of various topics.
Brian Levin (criminal justice) discusses the latest increase in hate crime, and improvements in reporting such incidents, and Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus), wrote on freedom of expression and opinion in Ethiopia.
Faculty in the News, Dec. 17
Alemayehu G. Mariam, CSUSB professor emeritus, political science, spoke at the inaugural Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund (EDTF) fundraising gala on Dec. 12. He is the chair of the trust fund.
Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) wrote about Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receiving the the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize today, Dec. 10, and Brian Levin (criminal justice) was interviewed for an article about paramilitary groups.
Faculty in the News, Nov. 26
Steven Mintz (professor of accounting, emeritus, and former dean, 1996-98, Jack H. Brown College) and Alemayehu G. Mariam (political science, emeritus) both write opinion pieces in their respective areas of expertise.


text:
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;

/// <summary>
/// In charge of managing all control events and other situations that
/// changes the state of the game.
              /// </summary>
public class GameMaster : MonoBehaviour {

	#region Variables
	private static GameMaster instance;

	private LevelGUI levelGUI;
    private int numberOfPlayers;
    public GameObject human;
	public NetworkPlayer npHuman;
    public GameObject monster;
	private Dictionary<GameObject,string> monsters;

	public float viewRadius;

	public AudioClip introAmbience;
	public AudioClip loopAmbience;

	#endregion

	public int NumberOfPlayers {
		get {
			return numberOfPlayers;
		}
	}

	public static GameMaster Instance {
		get{
			return instance;
		}
	}

	void Start(){
        numberOfPlayers = Networker.Instance.players.Count;
		GameObject.Find("Networker").GetComponent<LevelHandler>().levelLoaded = true;
		monsters = new Dictionary<GameObject,string >();
        //TODO: Spawn players in different positions and different prefabs

	}

	// Use this for initialization
	void Awake () {
		if(instance != null){
			Debug.Log("You can only have one GameMaster per match.");
			//Destroy (this);
		}else{
			instance = this;
		}

		//reproducir el intro de la musica del ambiente
		playIntro();
	}

	void Update(){
		//CheckVicinity();
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// play the intro of the ambience.
	/// </summary>
	private void playIntro(){
		audio.clip = introAmbience;
		audio.Play();
		audio.loop = false;

		//reproduze el loop del ambiente cuando termina el intro.
		StartCoroutine(CheckForIntroEnd());
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// Checks the human's vicinity to monsters,
	/// to freeze / unfreeze monsters if necessary (if the player is seeing them).
	/// </summary>
	public void CheckVicinity ()
	{
		//TODO: Refactorizar freezing / unfreezing del monstruo para que sea compatible con el networking.
		//Se sacan el script y la posicion del humano.
		Vector2 humanPos = new Vector2(human.transform.position.x, human.transform.position.z);
		Human humanScript = human.GetComponent<Human>();
		//Se comparara la posicion del humano con la de cada monstruo
		//para ver cual esta dentro del radio de vision.
		foreach(GameObject monster in monsters.Keys){
			//Se sacan el script y la pos. del monstruo actual.
			Monster monsterScript = monster.GetComponent<Monster>();
			Vector2 monsterPos = new Vector2(monster.transform.position.x, monster.transform.position.z);
			//Se mira si el monstruo esta dentro del radio de vision.
			if(Mathf.Sqrt(Vector2.SqrMagnitude(monsterPos - humanPos)) <= viewRadius){
				//TODO:conectar con networker
				//networkView.RPC("MonsterNear",npHuman,null);
				//humanScript.MonsterNear();

				//CheckSeeingMonster retorna verdadero si tiene vision directa del monstruo.
				bool seeingMonster = humanScript.CheckSeeingMonster(monster);
				if(seeingMonster){
				   if(!monsterScript.Frozen){
						//monsterScript.Freeze();
						monster.GetComponent<Monster>().SendRPC("Freeze", Networker.Instance.NameToNetworkPlayer[monsters[monster]]);
					}
				}
				else{
					if(monsterScript.Frozen){
						//monsterScript.Unfreeze();
						monster.GetComponent<Monster>().SendRPC("Unfreeze", Networker.Instance.NameToNetworkPlayer[monsters[monster]]);
					}
				}
			}
			//Si no esta en el rango de vision, revisar si el monstruo esta congelado y descongelarlo.
			else{
				if(monsterScript.Frozen){
					monsterScript.Unfreeze();
				}
			}
		}
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// Human player reached one exit.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name="human">Game object.</param>
	public void PlayerReachedExit (GameObject human, GameObject exit)
	{
		//TODO: End of game logic.
		LevelGUI.Instance.State = EState.Ended;
	}

	public void HumanWasKilled(){
		//TODO: End of game logic.
		LevelGUI.Instance.State = EState.HumanKilled;
	}

	//Revisa si el intro de ambiente termino y comienza a reproducir el loop de ambiente.s
	private IEnumerator CheckForIntroEnd(){
		//revisar si el sonido de intro termino.
		for(;;){
			//si si, poner el clip del audiosource como el loop ppal.
			if(!audio.isPlaying){
				audio.clip = loopAmbience;
				audio.loop = true;
				audio.Play();
				break;
			}
			yield return new WaitForSeconds(0);
		}

	}

	public Dictionary<GameObject,string> Monsters {
		get {
			return monsters;
		}
	}

	private bool humanReady = false;
	/*public void AddMonster(GameObject monster){
		monsters.Add(monster);
		if(!humanReady){
			if(human!=null){
				human.GetComponent<Human>().Monsters = monsters;
				humanReady = true;
			}
		}else{
			human.GetComponent<Human>().AddMonster(monster);
		}
	}*/

	void OnDestroy() {
		print("Script was destroyed");
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Flame Challenge: What is Energy?
NYU Skirball Center
Alan Alda has issued this year's challenge to the world's top scientists: What is energy? In an action-packed hour of interactive demonstrations, Alan and a team of experts invite the audience to explore how our bodies use energy, the impact of natural resources, and how we're going to power the world in the future. The program also highlights the winners of the 2017 Flame Challenge, in which video and written explanations of energy were judged for clarity's sake…by 20,000 eleven year-olds.
This program is in association with the Flame Challenge, an annual contest held by The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.
Share this EventNone
Herman PontzerAnthropologist
Herman Pontzer, professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the City University of New York, investigates the energetics and evolution of humans and other apes. Dr. Pontzer's work seeks to understand how our bodies evolved and how our evolutionary past shapes our lives today.
Lynn TraheyMaterials Scientist
Lynn Trahey is a materials scientist in the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research Energy Innovation Hub where she leads scientific integration efforts as the Research Integration Officer. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.


Some say learning a new language is all about making mistakes, and that's something we can all agree on. But when it comes to picking an English course, there's no room for mistakes. You want to make sure your money is well spent.
Want to find an English school in Malta that adjusts to your needs? ¿You know why others fail at picking an English course that adjusts to their needs?
Here are 4 reasons why students fail to pick the best English course, and how you can avoid these common mistakes.
Affordability is important, but focusing on price alone is not a smart choice. Smart students won't go for the lowest price just because it's the cheapest –and a hefty price tag is not an indicator of superior quality.
Remember that price is merely an indicator. Make a quick rundown of everything that's included in the package and compare the offers between different courses.
If you need detailed information, you can ask a representative. Don't fear asking questions and dare go beyond the brochure info.
When we buy things we know the exact motive behind our purchase. If you buy a camera, you probably know what you're going to do with it. Perhaps you're a filmmaker in the making, or you want to experiment with landscapes.
Well, that's a quite broad motive, don't you think? Smart students know the exact reason why they want to study English.
It might sound silly, but the more specific your "why" is, the easier it is to find the right school. If you can pinpoint your "why" you can help others understand your needs.
Every "why" is valid, don't underestimate it.
Now, this might stir some debate, but the truth is, accreditations are not an indicator that an English course is the best for you. Yes, accreditations are important, as well as academic validity and the possibility of having an IELTS or TOEFL score to back you up.
But let's look back at our "why." An English school without top accreditations, but great teachers and communicators might focus more on conversations, and interactions outside the classroom and that might suit you well. While other English schools with a solid focus on accreditations might work better for someone interested in Business English.
Don't fall for the authority bias (thinking a school is better because of its name.) All English Schools in Malta are top-rated schools with excellent rankings.
A few blogs ago, we talked about how learning English is less about studying and more about meaningful interactions. Smart students know eating the whole book won't be enough to learn a new language.
The extra value should be considered the core value of an English School. Every activity and trip where you have the chance to practice your English is valuable. Make it a priority.
If you're looking for the perfect English course, and you need a bit of guidance, you can contact us and we will gladly help you find a course that adjusts to your personality and needs.
We have experience working with different English schools in Malta, and we always make sure our students receive the best education out there while also having a lot of fun on their trip to our beloved Malta.
If you want to know more about studying in Malta, make sure to read our other weekly blog posts. There's more content in there to make your trip to Malta an unforgettable experience.


Owned and run by vegetarians, this small restaurant in Central produces a great variety of western and oriental fusion vegetarian food. It's hugely popular and you are recommended to call and make a reservation, especially at lunchtime because they are often fully booked.
Menu has 6 main course options to choose from, generally changing several each day but the Beetroot Burger and Veggie Lasagna are always available due to their popularity.


text:
A History of Adverse Reactions
December 13, 2018 in Essays
From Firepool: Experiences in an Abnormal World.
'Oh – you're the one who wrote the Dictionary.'
I often get this, when I run into someone who went to my school, or his parents.
Yes, I wrote the Dictionary. I have copy in front of me now, not the original but a reissue. It is a photocopied A5 booklet that was put together by a well-meaning teacher, long after I had left the all-boys boarding school where I lived through my body's 13th to 18th years. This was 1992 to 1997 in world-historical time, so an era of major political and hormonal transitions.
During my final year, I conscripted a team of juniors and sent them out with notepads into the various boarding houses like 19th-century anthropologists, telling them to bring back exotic words and help me type them up. Perhaps because of the school's physical isolation in the foothills of the Drakensberg (I speculate in the Foreword), 'a very large and colourful body of indigenous terms has developed amongst its pupils'. In my last week at Milton College, I printed off a few hundred copies on the sly and sold them. The reissue was produced (I was told) when the one remaining original in the school library fell to bits through being consulted so often.
It is a highly embarrassing document.[1] Not just because the revised edition includes a picture of me (with centre parting) on the cover and several of my schoolboy poems. The Dictionary, which I have only mustered the courage to revisit in preparation for writing this piece, is a deep core drill into a world of shame, anxiety, embarrassment – with generous servings of sexism, homophobia and bigotry. Adolescence, in other words, but adolescence in a particular place, and at a particular time. And the fact that everyone can't see how embarrassing it is makes the whole thing more embarrassing still. The only time I have raised the matter myself was when I ran into one of my assistants, years after school.
'You mean 1001 words for homosexual?' he said.
I let the subject drop. But now I am writing this to fill in everything between the entries that I so confidently recorded, thinking of myself only as the disinterested observer, when I was in it up to my neck.
Mainly, though, I want to write about skin.
Tags: Firepool
Firepool: Experiences in an Abnormal World
A collection of my essays and creative non-fiction. Kwela Books, 2017.
Demitrios Tsafendas, Letter from Pretoria Central Prison
Excerpt in The Johannesburg Review of Books, 3 July 2017
The Firepool, Financial Times, 18 August 2017
Interview with Eusebius Mckaiser, Radio 702, 31 August 2017
Top 10 South African books of the year, Sunday Times, 12 December 2017
Real book available from The Book Lounge, Love Books and all good book stores
International shipping from Exclusive Books | E-book available on Amazon
Mentally exhilarating! A book I will return to again and again, both for its uncommon insights, and the quiet beauty of its prose.
Rebecca Davis
Hedley Twidle's work is exquisitely crafted, clever, self-deprecating, and, above all, deeply thoughtful. We are lucky to have a writer of his calibre working on contemporary South African material.
Jonny Steinberg
Hedley Twidle is an essayist of rare brilliance. His reach is remarkable. Whatever subject he touches, his writing is always luminous, astute and often darkly funny.
Rob Nixon
The sequence of the essays behaves almost as a collection of paintings – a polyptych of stories that are each exquisite and then add other layers as they ricochet against one another.
Tags: Firepool, cape town
Shadow of a Drought
A water crisis and its aftermath.
Financial Times, 27 July, 2018. With photographs by Kent Andreasen.
Cape Town's most neglected heritage site can be found in a subterranean shopping mall near the central rail station. Tucked under an elevator between braiding salons and smartphone shops is a crumbling wall under glass: the remnants of a water reservoir built by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. Before the downtown district of the Foreshore was reclaimed from the sea, this spot marked the Atlantic Ocean's edge, where ships would stock up with fresh water that had been channelled down from Table Mountain.
It is a forgotten reminder of why the city exists where it does. Other bays up the west or east coasts provide better anchorage in storms; but here a steady supply of drinking water could be guaranteed all year, gushing down the mountain slopes in winter, trickling out the sandstone in summer. Today's urban centre was once a place called Camissa –"place of sweet waters" – by the indigenous Khoikhoi herders who were gradually driven from the pastures below what they knew as Hoerikwaggo, or "Sea Mountain". Dutch settlers laid claim to the lushness created by the mountain's rain shadow, now some of the city's richest, greenest suburbs.
If you fly into Cape Town International from the right angle, you can see some of the water infrastructure built by the next colonial presence, the British. A series of small dams are set high up into the mountain chain like shards of mirror. Walled with granite blocks hauled up by 19th-century cableway, they are beautiful No Swimming swimming spots, filled with cola-coloured liquid. But as the plane wheels round to land on the sandy, much drier Cape Flats, these are mere handfuls when seen against a metro that has now grown to some 4 million people, and which recently came close to running out of water altogether.
Tags: environmental humanities, cape town
Teaching / Writing
April 01, 2018 in Research, Essays
Creative and otherwise.
Thirteen Ways in At the Foot of the Volcano: Reflections on Teaching at a South African University. ed. Susan Levine. HSRC Press, 2018.
... Showing examples of Cubism alongside such a poem is effective, of course, since students of the twenty-first century have visual literacy skills that are immensely advanced: the challenge is to get them to 'translate' such analytic techniques from the visual to the textual. Which is not always easy: 'One can accept a Picasso woman with two noses,' John Ashbery remarks in The Paris Review, 'but an equivalent attempt in poetry baffles the same audience'.
Without mentioning structuralism or De Saussure or using the word 'signifier', I also tried to broach the idea that 'blackbird' could in one sense be seen as an entirely arbitrary choice, easily replaceable with another word in this verbal algorithm. An ex-colleague of mine (now at Wits University) had been compulsively working up variations of the poem on his Facebook wall, and I shared one of them:
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of J.M. Coetzee.
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three J.M. Coetzees.
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That J.M. Coetzee is involved
In what I know.
Monsoon Raag
December 26, 2017 in Essays, Journal
A journey in sound.
Prufrock, May 2019.
The days would begin with singing, but we never quite knew where it was coming from. Male voices in unison drifting into our room while it was still dark, at the edge of waking. Early morning singing or chanting in Fort Kochi, voices coming from…we could never tell exactly: maybe the Basilica, the rooftop mediation hall beyond the football pitch, the Young Men's Buddhist Association over towards Mattancherry. Days were edged by this unison singing, in and out of sleep, the sound of people beginning the day together.
'Join us for a morning raag', said the man at the Kathakali Theater, bringing his palms together, bowing slightly, dropping his voice to whisper: 'Most welcome'. He had one of those voices that tickles the eardrum, that creates ASMR-like shivers even at a distance, that you want never to stop. We would bow and intone it huskily to each other all through two months of travel in south India and Sri Lanka: 'Most welcome'.
The idea is distinctive to Indian classical music – that certain scales and melodic sets are associated with certain times of day, or seasons of the year: the heat, the rains. But it seems (once you have heard it) utterly logical, beautiful, impossible to do without. A raag, or raga, is not quite a scale (because many ragas can be based on the same scale), and not really a tune (because the same raga can yield an infinite number of tunes.) It has no direct translation in Western music theory, but with it comes the idea that certain patterns of sound have specific effects on the mind and body, that they colour things, hence the Sanskrit origin of the word raag: concerned with pigments and tinting, tingeing or dyeing.
October 01, 2017 in Research, Essays
Reading, writing, walking the South African highway.
Social Dynamics 43:1 (2017).
Less academic version appears as 'Thirteen Ways of Looking at the N2' in Firepool.
N2. Curled up in that tiny alphanumeric are thousands of kilometres, hundreds of service stations, millions of tons of concrete. N2 can mean a London bus route; an intelligence officer in the US Navy; an anti-nuclear song by the Japanese indie group Asian Kung-Fu Generation. But for my purposes it is the longest highway in South Africa, which starts at an unfinished flyover near the docks in Cape Town, follows the eastern seaboard of the country (roughly) for over 2 000 kilometres, then bends north and west below Swaziland to end at the town of Ermelo in the province of Mpumalanga.
Major highways are not thought about much. They are pieces of infrastructure that (if working as intended) efface themselves, receding from view in the mirror. In his hidden history of the UK's motorway system, Joe Moran suggests that this bland corporate terrain of tarmac, underpasses and thermoplastic road markings is 'the most commonly viewed and least contemplated landscape' in Britain: 'The road is almost a separate country, one that remains under-explored not because it is remote and inaccessible but because it is so ubiquitous and familiar.'
Perhaps because of the late age at which I (after many failed attempts) got my driver's licence, piloting vehicles along strips of tarmac has never quite lost its strangeness for me, and the psychology and social behaviours associated with driving are, I believe, complex and neglected domains. With the passing of the era of cheap oil, future humanity will look back on our cities with wonder, disbelief and disgust at how totally urban spaces were shaped around the velocities and demands of the private vehicle. So, an important strategy for environmental writing in the 21st century might be to estrange the practice of everyday life, to conduct an anthropology not of the distant and exotic, but rather of the near, the mundane, the everyday.
'What speaks to us, seemingly,' wrote Georges Perec in 1973, 'is always the big event, the untoward, the extraordinary: the front-page splash, the banner headlines. Railway trains only begin to exist when they are derailed, and the more passengers that are killed, the more the trains exist. Aeroplanes achieve existence only when they are hijacked. The one and only destiny of motorcars is to drive into plane trees.' But, he goes on, in our haste to measure 'the historic, significant and revelatory, let's not leave aside the essential: the truly intolerable, the truly inadmissible. What is scandalous isn't the pit explosion, it's working in coalmines. "Social problems" aren't "a matter of concern" when there's a strike, they are intolerable twenty-four hours out of twenty-four, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.'
Tags: environmental humanities, N2, cape town
The Institute for the Less Good Idea
September 09, 2016 in Essays
Visiting William Kentridge at his Johannesburg studio.
Profile for Financial Times magazine | 2 September 2016 | [PDF].
My (longer) edit, with The Nose reinstated:
I knew I was at the right place because of the cats. Two sculpted, spiky creatures faced each other atop the gates in Houghton, one of Johannesburg's wealthy, jacaranda-shrouded suburbs. I recognized them from drawings, etchings and films – in which cats emerge from radios (Ubu Tells the Truth), curl into bombs (Stereoscope), turn into espresso pots (Lexicon). Now they had become metal, swinging open to reveal a steep driveway and above it a brick and glass building perched on stilts amid foliage: the studio. A gardener directed me past some cycads to the right entrance and there an assistant ushered me in to meet William Kentridge. He was wearing a blue rather than a white collared shirt, but in all other aspects conformed to his self-appointed uniform: black trousers, black shoes, the string of a pince-nez knotted through a button hole, the lenses stowed in a breast pocket when they were not on his nose.
Tags: africa south, image, visual art
February 07, 2016 in Essays, Journal
A journey through the public pools of greater Cape Town.
Openings column | Financial Times, 8 January, 2016.
Waterlog #3 | Sea Point Pool | 19.01.16
Since Silvermine there have been terrible heat waves; fires leaving smoke all over the city's horizon; helicopters toiling through the night, scooping up water from the reservoirs, dropping it in tiny white plumes on the shoulder of Devils' Peak.
A banner appeared, taking up the whole face of an apartment building at the top of Long Street: Zuma Must Fall. Then an ANC-led march ripped it down, turning on a man who (allegedly) called out Zuma se ma se poes! On social media, self-appointed pundits explain that singling out the President is tantamount to racism, and that mob violence is only to be expected. People can only be insulted for so long.
Can you blame a man for wanting to go to the water?
Tags: cape town
A public lecture series transformed into a beautiful book.
Relocations: Reading Culture in South Africa | University of Cape Town Press | 2015.
With essays and reflections by Gabeba Baderoon, André Brink, Imraan Coovadia, Henrietta Rose-Innes, Rustum Kozain, William Kentridge, Neo Muyanga, Zackie Achmat, Duncan Brown, John Higgins, Isabel Hofmeyr , Peter D. McDonald, Rajend Mesthrie, Nicholas Mirzoeff, Coilin Parsons, Sandy Young. And me. Designed by James King and Alexandra Dodd. Published by Juta.
Tags: academy, africa south
Cecil Rhodes: My Part in His Downfall
May 12, 2015 in Essays
Literature in the time of decolonization.
My attempt to make sense of the coincidence of MAN Booker International and the Rhodes Must Fall movement at the University of Cape Town. Including one amazing fact you never knew (or needed to know) about the Rhodes statue...
The Essay: Life and Arts. Financial Times,3 April 2015.
See also: The Atlantic, 25 April 2015.
Just uphill from Rhodes, toward Table Mountain, I spotted a second, smaller plinth. On top of the pedestal stood a striking black woman, with her back to the statue and her face, obscured by a traditional beaded veil, angled down as if she was meditating. She wore a black leotard and had a quite untraditional pair of shiny stilettos on her feet.
The woman was Sethembile Msezane, an MFA candidate at the university and a Zulu-speaking performance artist from Soweto, outside Johannesburg. She'd made it her trademark on public holidays to juxtapose her young, black, female body with monuments of old, white, male colonial and Apartheid-era figures, and to turn up in silent vigil at sites of resistance to oppression.
Tags: academy, africa south, cape town
Juice Time
July 25, 2014 in Essays, Journal
A wayward tribute to Alice Munro... and Raymond E. Feist.
Electricity gone down from Flower Road to Davenport. No internet on a Sunday. Peace.
Yesterday's swimming is still in me, in my shoulders and hair. Clifton 3 ½ beach with A. We splash out to the rock, but are too cautious to jump off it, slide back into the water over the barnacles. We run into Anna, Jemma and their friends, in knitted swimwear and dungarees. 'Mary's daughters', says A., 'They march to the sound of their own djembe.' The beach is packed: the real girls thread their way between the incorrigible babes, looking for a place. Today the wind has stopped entirely and I want to go back. But she is having lunch with her grandparents and I know that a swim that perfect comes only once a year.
Reluctant to start work over the last weeks: lazy, a little depressed. To remedy it I try to break all routines, to force the days into new shapes. Sitting in a Turkish steam room in mid-afternoon. Shopping for shirts with D. at 9am, when the Waterfront is deserted. We have fish and chips at 11am and he says the harbour scene reminds him of the Canadian island where he grew up. Not the motorized pirate boat pulling out with the tourists, but the cranes and industrial mess behind. I ask if he is proud of Alice Munro and the Nobel.


Regardless, that bike was still rideable. Not that one would continue to and very unlikely but my point being, its rideable, temporarily perhaps.
I received a Giant CF frame that was hit by a car, non drive side seat stay snapped clean through the mid-section. The rider was only scrapped up and decided to just reset by force the broken seat stay and continue on!
What I found interesting in examining was how stiff the remaining frame is even with the sheared seat stay.
I also get it that things break and bad things happen. But use your judgement and keep a close eye on your equipment, tools whatever.
I've personally seen including reading enough online (including here) of others mishaps, some very unfortunate. What some risk vs others and how you balance that judgement is always going to be there. Do you park or toss the old carbon bike? Or do you roll the dice?


The Caedmon multi fuel stove is an award-winning design, with up to the minute technology. The controls have been simplified, there are two levers below the door, one controls the primary air and the other controls the secondary and tertiary air, which take the place of spin wheels. Once the fire is established, there is no need to use the primary air except with smokeless fuel, even on re-fuelling.
The Caedmon can be supplied with an outside air kit, which is now a requirement in a lot of new build properties, and this version is also available with remote control if required.


More large companies are navigating public crises than ever before.
It's not just a matter of more companies on the landscape (there are) or of a particularly divisive outlook on the business cycle (there is). The numbers are real: According to McKinsey & Company, a metric for judging how many companies are going through rough water has almost doubled since 2010.
The whys behind the trend are as varied as the crises themselves. Although activists and journalists often look for a pat narrative when pride goeth before a corporate fall, there's no template to the rise in troubles. For example, companies pay out more in large U.S. regulatory infraction fines and settlements than ever before — a near quintupling between 2010–2015, to nearly $60 billion per year. But many corporate missteps are well afield of mere regulatory action or other events driven by the government.
Complexity boosts productivity and often profits, but often at the cost of fragility. A new vehicle likely includes computer controls programmed with more than 150 million lines of computer code. Goods travel thousands of miles through supply chains that comprise multiple intermediaries and multiple jurisdictions. The rise of e‐commerce has concentrated hundreds of billions of dollars in GDP on the ongoing health of a relatively small number of large data hosts and logistics companies. And while none of those are bad business practices, they are all examples of evolving risk that should be part of crisis assessment, planning, response and recovery processes.
All the fuses have grown shorter. Social media has always placed more value on being first than being right; increasingly, personnel‐ and cash‐strapped newsrooms are forced to make the same choice. A crisis that once generated a single bad news cycle before management and their crisis counsel could get their arms around it is now an instant social media event, racking up thousands or millions of views before traditional media even begin to report. And, like everything else on the internet, these social‐first crises live forever online.
Everyone hates everyone else. Overstatement? Not by much. Studies of affective polarization show that political party affiliation — once a significant but by no means overwhelming factor in citizens' civic lives — has grown into a strong, nearly tribalist ingroup/outgroup identity that impacts preferences and decisions that have nothing to do with politics. Companies that work extraordinarily hard to avoid political issues can find themselves dragged into public debate. Similarly, organizations choosing sides no longer have the luxury of only deeply activist customers caring about their actions, or the comfort of believing politics will wane when election season ends.
Against this backdrop, why aren't organizations rethinking their risk exposures and responses?
It's certainly not for lack of worrying. In a 2011 study, nearly 80% of business decision makers feel they are less than 12 months from a crisis, and nearly 60% have experienced a crisis in their current or previous company. But that same study revealed that only slightly more than half of the surveyed organizations have a plan in place. Indeed, among those without a plan, the rare need for it and the difficulty of set‐up and management were cited as top reasons for the gap.
Even among small and mid‐sized enterprises, the majority of crises reported cost the company more than $500,000 — a number that can scale up into the billions for a large company recall or an episode that shakes investor confidence in a stock.
Faced with both this reality and clear evidence that crises are more prevalent than before, why aren't organizations doing more and better planning?
Search Google for "crisis preparedness" and nearly 400,000 results show up. Most of the top results have to do with crisis communications — an important factor in crisis preparedness, but hardly the only one.
This public trove of opinions and sales pitches affects the larger ecosystem of crisis response. Executives at small and medium‐sized companies have less exposure to full‐spectrum crisis preparedness that approaches the issue for what it really is: A strategic management challenge. One that covers communication, yes, but also operational and financial planning, personnel, proactive monitoring and restoration for the road back to normal performance.
Evaluating and regularly reviewing possible scenarios. This looks at first glance like the low‐hanging fruit of crisis preparedness — even marginally competent executives have a general idea of potential threats to ongoing operation. But there's a night‐and‐day difference between informally blue‐skying possible problems and rigorously approaching their likelihood, impact and mitigation. A viral customer rant on Facebook, product‐delivery interruptions from a key supplier and a loss‐of‐life incident are utterly different scenarios; putting them all in the same general bucket of possible crises with the same general response borders on management malpractice.
Understanding the financial impact of those scenarios and determine reserve needs or other resiliency measures. Measures to provide short‐term liquidity and navigate choppy financial waters should be known and available, with clear executive decision trees to their activation. Exposure to activist‐shareholder issues should be understood as well, along with countermaneuvers. Contractual steps — such as "cooling off" periods in supplier contracts that avoid immediate changes in the terms of their accounts receivable, can offer extra protection and may be put into place long before a crisis occurs.
Monitoring relevant issues and providing a clear path for early escalation. Most externally‐driven crises start as events that, effectively handled early on, didn't have to turn into a dumpster fire. Early warning systems, in the form of personnel empowered to quickly escalate issues to resolution as well as third‐party tools to monitor traditional and social media, are a form of insurance against small problems becoming major events.
Formalizing restoration efforts so focus can return to the core business as quickly as possible. There's a temptation among some management teams to let the dust fully settle after a crisis before turning attention toward a new strategic foothold or brand repositioning. That's a mistake — the delay may mean the market has left them behind. Whenever possible, moving on should begin immediately after stabilization of the immediate crisis.
Today's crisis environment is qualitatively and quantitatively different from what most leaders have ever experienced. A combination of changing business practices, societal shifts and instant amplification leave companies operating in territory that looks familiar, but hosts distinctly different risks just below the surface.
The net effect for most organizations? The semi‐safe middle ground occupied by organizations with a basic level of crisis planning in place, or that operate in spaces where crises are thought to be less likely, is eroding. In the future, there will simply be the prepared and the unprepared, the latter carrying an unseen toxic asset on the organization's balance sheet.
The data is clear: Most companies will endure a crisis at some point, most crises are expensive, and they are growing in frequency. Against that backdrop, crisis‐response planning is no longer optional; it's a core — and for some organizations, existential — management function.
Share West Third Group's insights with your network.


If anyone climbs it soon please look out for our flag at the top its fully planted in the ground it a greek flag we have all signed with dates on. Im also setting up a facebook group so watch this space.
Tolis is Right! You must be very to walk up Skopos! Thats why i didnt do it! But Yiannis, did the Annual hike this July.. To see all the pics, go onto the zante message boards.
Hopefully next year, i might do the hike, but in trainers! Not Flip-Flops that break! LOL!
I have walked up Skopos twice, both times from the Kalamaki side via goat tracks. Much nicer than the quarry road on the Argassi side!!! I have reached the church at the top but only my boyfriend managed to climb the rock summit. Can anybody out there tell me whats on the top?? He knows but he ain't telling!! Tollis - Are you still running excursions? My BF is interested in a job? He's an experienced mountain climber and lived in Zee all of last year.
I have never climbed mount Skopos, but i was going to with Yiannis, Tolis, Karen and Liam but we had to put a stop on the hike as there was a fire on the mouantain. It had started on Saturday evening (31/ july 2005) and finished Sunday morning. But the reason that we couldn't do the hike was the fact that they had closed the roads off. Here are some pictures of the saturday evening!
JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT TOLIS WILL BE BACK IN JULY TO DO TOURS FROM KALAMAKI UP MOUNT SKOPOS,UP AT THE SUMIT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RELAX AND HAVE A ICE COLD DRINK,A FIVE MINUTE PHOTO SHOOT TO TAKE IN THE BREATH-TAKING VIEWS,BEFORE DECENDING INTO ARGASSI FOR A LARGE LIQUID LUNCH,THE TOUR IS NOT ADVISED FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED,TEA-TOTALERS OR PEOPLE WHO WEAR FLIP-FLOPS TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS.PLEASE CHECK ON YOUR HOLIDAY INSURANCE,TOLIS CAN BE FOUND IN SEVERAL BARS IN KALAMAKI FOR YOU TO BOOK THE TOUR,ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCENT,TRY THE CRONULLA BAR FIRST,PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR JUST 10 EURO EXTRA,HE WILL SHOW YOU THE SECRET PLACE WHERE THE ENDANGERED ZANTE TADPOLES LIVE.
had a bit of a trouble finding the road that goes there!
but it was worth it. it a must. the views are out of this world!
hired a motorbike, as its quiet a distance from the main argasi-vasiliko road.
dont forget to bring lots of film. and water as the are no shops around.
Glad to see folk are walking up this amazing mountain, even better than the Mountains above Conwy in North Wales and 100% better than a Sunday afternoon walk over Kinver edge!!!
Can't wait to be walking up it again this June. ( I must have been the only Thomson Rep to walk up it !!!! ) Cheers for the pics Yiannis, i'll take my camera this year. I only took one photo wearing my football top which was in the Coventry City FC matchday program last December, great shot as well!
I have never climbed up mount Skopos but I look at it longingly all the time when I am lying on the beach sweating in the hot sunshine! I am now inspired to get up there on my next holiday to Zante on September 25. The sun shouldn't be too hot at that time of year. I will definitely take some photographs if I do, because no one else seems to have bothered! What a shame!
We climbed Mount Skopos in July about 2 years ago.
near to church at top. Well worth the visit. Not alot of tourists up there so they do make a fuss.
WE CLIMBED SKOPOS THREE YEARS AGO,TAKE PLENTY OF WATER,TAKE YOUR TIME AND WATCH YOUR STEP!WE WENT UP A DIRT-TRACK FROM THE KALAMAKI SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN,THE VIEWS ARE BREATHTAKING,WHEN YOU REACH THE TOP,YOU CAN SEE THE MAINLAND AND TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLAND,KEFALONIA.TAKE A CAMERA,AS YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE ISLAND FROM UP HERE.
WE WENT DOWN A ROAD TOWARDS ARGASSI,IT IS VERY STEEP,SO BE CAREFUL .IT IS VERY REWARDING WHEN YOU GET DOWN THE OTHERSIDE AND HAVE A FEW ICE COLD BEERS TO TAKE THE DUST OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!
WE WENT UP IN THE THIRD WEEK OF JULY,AND SET OFF AT 6.45AM,WE GOT TO ARGASSI AT APPROX 1PM,I DRANK OVER 3LITERS OF WATER ON ROUTE.
IF YOU DO GO,LET PEOPLE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE,KEEP SAFE.
JOHN MAC FADDEN, TONY,KAREN&LIAM KEARNEY WE DID IT!!!!


Why add this perfectly struck Niue $2 Silver Proof Disney Cars: Tow Mater colorized coin to your collection?
This delightful proof produced by the New Zealand Mint for issue by the nation of Niue honors the fictional character Tow Mater, from the Disney Pixar computer animated comedy-adventure film "Cars", released in 2006. Design of the endearing character is based upon a 1951 International Harvester boom truck used to lift equipment from mine shafts. The 40mm diameter colorized proof is struck from 1 Troy oz. of .999 fine silver, with a mintage limited to 10,000.
Depicted on the reverse is the tow truck character Tow Mater, in all his rusty, happily worn glory, beside a "RADIATOR SPRINGS, LEAVING SO SOON?" billboard, with the Radiator Springs desert image beyond. Inscribed "DISNEY PIXAR" with the "CARS" Logo above, "1 oz. .999 FINE SILVER" below.
The obverse features sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley's classic representation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II", "NIUE", "TWO DOLLARS", and "2017".
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) graded this 2017 Niue $2 Disney Cars: Tow Mater Colorized Silver Proof a perfect PF70. Presented in an NGC protective holder, the flawless coin is also certified Ultra Cameo (UC) for the exceptional high quality of the coin's frosted and mirrored surfaces and the dramatic contrast between them.
This perfectly graded 2017 Tow Mater Colorized Silver Proof belongs in your collection of Disney Pixar memorabilia! Order yours today from MCM!


text:
About Wear What You Have
Inspiring you to use what you have to be the best you!
An Open Letter to Clothes That Don't Fit Me Anymore but I've Kept for Years With the Hope That One Day You Will Fit Me Again
by Marcela Onyango
Dear clothes that don't fit me anymore but I've kept for years in hopes that one day you will fit me again, You have sat in my drawer unworn for…
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