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Homepage / Military Ordnance / Lockheed Martin Awarded $191 Million Contract for Trident Missile System
U.S. Navy Trident II D5 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)
Lockheed Martin Awarded $191 Million Contract for Trident Missile System
The Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Mitchel Field, New York, is awarded a $191,183,328 firm-fixed-price contract for the U.S. and United Kingdom to provide strategic weapon system Trident SSI Increment 8 production of inertial navigation systems and associated inertial spares for the Ohio and Columbia ballistic missile submarine shallow water submersible platforms for the fleet ballistic missile program. Work expected completion date of Feb. 28, 2028. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the American and British navies. It was first deployed in March 1990, and remains in service. The Trident II Strategic Weapons System is an improved SLBM with greater accuracy, payload, and range than the earlier Trident C-4. It is a key element of the U.S. strategic nuclear triad and strengthens U.S. strategic deterrence. The Trident II is considered to be a durable sea-based system capable of engaging many targets.
Trident II missiles are carried by 14 US Ohio and four British Vanguard-class submarines, with 24 missiles on each Ohio class and 16 missiles on each Vanguard class (the number of missiles on Ohio-class submarines will be reduced to 20 each starting in 2023, in compliance with the New Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty). There have been 177 successful test flights of the D5 missile since design completion in 1989,[21] the most recent being from USS Maine (SSBN-741) in February 2020. The Trident D5LE (life-extension) version will remain in service until 2042.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the Navy's Trident missile prime contractor, developed and produced the missile and support equipment. The company also supplies technical and logistical support at sites where the missiles are deployed. The Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) team continues to build on a remarkable mission success track record. The Trident II D5 missile has achieved 167 successful test launches since design completion in 1989 — a record unmatched by any other large ballistic missile or space launch vehicle.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the Navy's Trident missile prime contractor, developed and produced the missile and support equipment.
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Inhibitory effect of methamphetamine on intracavernous pressure in rats
Tao-An Chang, Bang-Ping Jiann
Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Date of Submission 13-May-2017
Date of Web Publication 24-Apr-2018
Dr. Bang-Ping Jiann
Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, No. 386, Ta-Chung 1st Road, Kaohsiung 81362; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong Street, Taipei 11221
DOI: 10.4103/fjs.fjs_79_17
Background: There is a paucity of animal study investigating the effect of methamphetamine (METH) on penile erection in spite of its worldwide population.
Aim: We investigated the changes of intracavernous pressure (ICP) elicited by cavernous nerve stimulation after a single and repeated dosing of METH in male rats.
Methods: Rats were randomly assigned to five treated groups and one control group with each group having 3 rats. Rats in treated group 1, 2, and 3 received a single dose intravenous injection with 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 μg/kg METH, respectively. Rats in treated group 4 and 5 received an intraperitoneal injection with 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg METH four times daily for two weeks, respectively. ICP was measured during penile erection elicited by cavernous nerve stimulation. Expression of neural nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) was measured in the cavernous nerve and muscle after single and repeated dosing.
Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure was the ΔICP/mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the secondary was the expression of nNOS in the tissue.
Results: The ΔICP/MAP increased slightly in group 1 rats and decreased substantially in group 2 and 3 rats compared with the baseline. A single dose of METH within the range of 0.1 to 10.0 μg/kg exhibited an inhibitory effect of ICP (%). The ΔICP/MAP significantly decreased in group 4 and 5 rats after repeated dosing of METH, compared with that in group 3. The expression of nNOS significantly increased in the cavernous muscle after single and repeated dosing of METH compared with the control.
Conclusions: The preliminary results suggested that a single dose of METH exhibits an inhibitory effect on ICP and repeated dosing of METH exerted a greater inhibition than a single dosing. However, these results need further study.
Keywords: Animal model, erectile dysfunction, intracavernous pressure, methamphetamine, nitric oxide synthase
Chang TA, Jiann BP. Inhibitory effect of methamphetamine on intracavernous pressure in rats. Formos J Surg 2018;51:63-8
Chang TA, Jiann BP. Inhibitory effect of methamphetamine on intracavernous pressure in rats. Formos J Surg [serial online] 2018 [cited 2022 Jan 17];51:63-8. Available from: https://www.e-fjs.org/text.asp?2018/51/2/63/231144
Illicit drug abuse poses important public health problems in many parts of the world.[1] Amphetamines refer to a group of drugs whose principal members include amphetamine and methamphetamine (METH). METH is a highly addictive central stimulant that enhances the release and blocks the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine in the central nervous system.[2] Owning to easily being manufactured using available products, METH becomes the second most popular illicit drug worldwide, with an annual global prevalence estimated at 0.4%.[3] The half-life of METH lasted for 10 h.[4] Because the pleasurable effect of METH disappears before the drug concentration in the blood falls significantly, users try to maintain the high by taking more of the drug,[5] and are likely to have overdose, vascular complications, and even mortality.[6],[7]
The connections between illicit drugs and sexual function are complex. Social and psychological factors can influence substance use and sexual function independently, and their interaction.[8] The illicit drugs are often seen as aphrodisiacs although the available research suggest that most psychoactive drugs have deleterious acute and chronic effects on male sexual functioning.[8],[9],[10] Of the so-called "club drugs" or "party drugs," METH is the most strongly associated with sexuality and sexual behavior.[11] Diverse effects of amphetamine on sexual function were reported, including positive effects (spontaneous erection and enhanced sexual desire) and negative effects (reduced libido and arousal, impaired erection, and difficulty in achieving orgasm).[8],[10]
The effect of METH on erectile function has rarely been investigated, and its pathophysiology remains unknown despite its popularity. An animal study was conducted to investigate the effect of single and chronic dosing of METH on intracavernous pressure (ICP) in rats.
Preparation of animals
The study protocol followed the rules of Animal Experimental Guideline and was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at our institution (97-31). Male Sprague Dawley rats (350–450 g, Taiwan) were housed under a 12-hour light-dark cycle in room temperature 20°C–22°C 2 mp were fed with regular diet (LabDiet ® 5001 Rodent diet, Purina Mills LLC, St. Louis, MO, USA) and water.
The animals were anesthetized with urethane (0.6 g/kg) and chlorohydrate (0.4 g/kg) through intraperitoneal injection. The carotid artery was cannulated with a polyethylene catheter (Clay-Adams PE-50; ID = 0.58 mm, OD = 0.965 mm, Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD) flushed with heparin to measure mean arterial pressure (MAP). The jugular vein was cannulated with another PE-50 for drug administration.
The major pelvic ganglion and cavernous nerve were approached to elicit penile erection. The probe set on the cavernous nerve was connected to an S48 stimulator (Grass instrument, MA, USA) with a currency of 0.2 ms (pulses), 2 mA, 20 Hz. One session of stimulation lasted 40 s with a 10-min interval.
The ICP catheter was inserted accordingly.[12] Right proximal corpus cavernosum was exposed by dissecting the ischiocavernosus muscle. A 25-gauge needle attached to a heparinized PE-50 was inserted into the crus of corpus cavernosum and fixed to scrotal skin by a 5–0 pouch suture. The tubing that was attached to a polygraph 7E (Grass Instrument, MA, USA) was connected to a computerized data acquisition system to record the pressure change.
The study rats were randomly divided into five groups, each containing three rats. The rats in group 1, 2, and 3 received a single dosing through intravenous injection by 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 μg/kg METH, respectively. The data of MAP and ICP were recorded before and 10 minutes after dosing. The rats in group 4 and 5 received intraperitoneal injection with 1.0 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg METH, respectively, four times daily for 14 days. Data of ICP were obtained in the following day after completion of repeated dosing.
METH abusers usually consume 100–1000 mg daily, blood levels reaching approximately 0.01 to 2.5 mg/L (median 0.6 mg/L) and may take up to 5000 mg in chronic users.[13] The study rats administered up to 10 mg METH was equivalent to the doses taken by abusers.[13]
Drug administration would only start waiting 30 minutes after cannularization when MAP becomes stable. ICP data were recorded 1 min after the cavernous nerve stimulation. ΔICP was the figure of ICP after stimulation minus that at baseline. Ratio of inhibition of ICP was the ICP after dosing divided by before. Inhibition of erection to half (IE50) was defined as the dose of METH required to inhibit 50% of ICP.
After completion of the ICP study, the rats in groups 3, 4, and 5 were euthanized for immunohistochemical expression. Penile tissue was fixed with 10% neutral formalin solution. The penile tissue was harvested and dehydrated by xylene and alcohol, was immersed in 10 mM citrate buffer, was heated to boiling for 20 min in a microwave oven, and was processed for immunohistochemical staining by EnVision and Dual Link System Peroxidase (Cat. NO. K5007, DakoCytomation, Denmark). After reaction with 3% H2O2 for 10 min, specimen was marked by Dako Pen (Red, CA, USA), immersed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 2 min and processed with primary antibodies of neural nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)/NOS type 1 (1:500x, Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA, 610309) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) (1:500x, Abcam, Cambridge, UK, ab18147) for 2 h. The specimen then was processed with PBS immersion, reacted with peroxidase-labeled polymer-HRP, PBS immersion, reacted with chromogen, and finally stained with Mayer's hematoxylin.
The positive cell number for nNOS in cavernous nerve and corpus cavernosum muscle was calculated under ×400 microscopic field. The α-SMA positive area (%) was calculated by a formula of (α-SMA positive area ÷ cross section area) × 100 using Image-Pro Plus Image System (Image Pro-Plus, Rockville, MD, USA).
The control group for immunohistochemical expression did not receive METH dosing.
All the analysis of this study was processed in Statistical Package for the Social Science version 12.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Data were presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Mann–Whitney U-test was used for the categorical comparison. Probability values of lower than 5% were considered significant. The half of inhibition erectile (IE50) was calculated by linear regression.
Acute effects on intracavernous pressure
This study was conducted from 2009 to 2010. The animal model of using rats for this study was successfully established. An elevation of ICP without significant change in the MAP was recorded in 40 seconds after cavernous nerve stimulation at 2 mA [Figure 1].
Figure 1: Establishment of the model for monitoring blood pressure and intracavernosal pressure with cavernous nerve stimulation in rats
We first investigated the changes of ICP after a single dosing of METH. After a single administration of METH to group 1 [0.1 μg/kg, [Figure 2], group 2 [1.0 μg/kg, [Figure 3], and group 3 [10.0 μg/kg, [Figure 4] rats elicited no significant change in the mean MAP among groups (P > 0.05) [Table 1]. A significant reduction of ΔICP/MAP was observed in group 3 compared with group 1 (P< 0.05) by Mann–Whitney U-test [Table 1]. Percentile of decrease in ICP was of 21.8% ± 19.0% in group 1, of 59.4% ± 32.3% in group 2, and of 99.1% ± 1.6% in group 3 [Table 1]. A linear regression relationship was obtained between the dose of METH and its inhibition on ICP (%) with a formula of y = 33.49x – 38.65 (R2 = 0.9843) [Figure 5] and an IE50 of 0.71 μg/kg.
Figure 2: Recordings of blood pressure and intracavernosal pressure after intravenous administration of 0.1 μg/kg methamphetamines in rats
Figure 4: Recordings of t blood pressure and intracavernosal pressure after intravenous administration of 10.0 μg/kg methamphetamines in rats
Table 1: Effect of a single dose of methamphetamine on intracavernous pressure in rats
Figure 5: A linear relationship between a single administration of methamphetamine and its inhibitory effect on intracavernous pressure
Chronic effects on intracavernous pressure
We, then, investigated the changes of ICP after repeated dosing of METH and compared with after single dosing. Chronic dosing of METH in group 4 (1.0 mg/kg) and group 5 (5.0 mg/kg) rats resulted in a significant reduction in the ΔICP/MAP than a single dose of METH in group 3 (P< 0.05) [Table 2]. Chronic dosing of METH did not show a dose-dependent effect with its percentile of inhibition on ICP [Table 2].
Table 2: Effect of single or repeated dosings of methamphetamine on intracavernous pressure in rats
Increased expression of neural nitric oxide synthase in the cavernous muscle
The expression of nNOS in the cavernous muscle significantly increased in group 3 (a single injection with 10.0 μg/kg METH), group 4 (repeated dosing with 1.0 mg/kg METH for 14 days), and group 5 rats (repeated dosing with 5.0 mg/kg METH for 14 days) when compared with controls (P< 0.05) [Table 3]. No significant difference in the nNOS expression (%) in cavernous nerve and α-SMA expression (%) in cavernous muscle was found between treated groups and control [Table 3]. No significant change in the penile tissue in HE stain was observed in the treatment group (groups 3, 4, and 5) and control.
Table 3: Expressions of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and α-smooth muscle actin in penile tissue after a single dosing or repeated dosing for 14 days with methamphetamine HCL in male rats
There is a paucity of animal study investigating the effect of METH on penile erection in spite of its worldwide population. We investigated the changes of ICP after a single dosing and repeated dosing of METH using rats as experimental animals. Our results showed that a single injection of METH exerted a dose-dependent inhibition on ICP and repeated dosing of it exerted a higher inhibition of ICP than a single injection. Furthermore, increased expression of nNOS was demonstrated in the cavernous muscle after dosing of METH. These data may provide important knowledge to health-care providers because most abusers are at sexually active age when sexual function may be a concern to them.
Inhibitory effect on intracavernous pressure
To the best of our knowledge, only two animal studies, including ours, investigated the effect of METH on ICP. A similar animal study in rats showed that acute (10 mg/kg) and chronic (an escalating dose regimen: 2.5 mg/kg in 1st week, 5 mg/kg in 2nd week, and 10 mg/kg in 3rd week) administrations of METH had an approximately 50% impairment of ICP/Blood pressure ratio compared to untreated animals.[13] These findings were compatible with clinical observations that METH abuse increases the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED).[9],[10] Cross-sectional studies in 1159 METH monodrug users showed that the odds ratio of ED for METH use was 2.1 (95% confidence interval = 1.2–3.6) compared with normal controls.[10] Exposure to METH elicits a significant increase of spontaneous erections in rats with unknown mechanism.[13] The increase of spontaneous erection should never be interpreted as having improvement in penile rigidity.
METH users are liable to having tolerance after a certain period of exposure; users may easily become addicted and consume it with an increasing frequency and dosage. Our study showed that the inhibitory effect of METH on ICP after repeated administration was greater than that after a single administration. This finding may indicate that chronic use of METH increases the risk of vascular complications.
Mechanism of inhibition on intracavernous pressure
Several possible mechanisms may be attributed to inhibition of METH on ICP. METH enhances release and blocks reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine that both have strong vasoconstrictive properties.[2],[4] A deficiency of adenosine A1 receptor, responsible for reuptaking norepinephrine, increased norepinephrine level in the corpus cavernosum, and impaired penile erection in METH abusers.[14] Acute and chronic administration of METH induces neurotoxicity in the brain attributed to an increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species in there [15],[16],[17] contributing to ED through impairing relaxation of penile arteries to hypoxia.[18] METH would upregulate NOS expression and enzymatic activity in cerebral microglia from wild-type mice.[19] An increase of NO at the hippocampal formation plays an active role in negative feedback regulation of penile erection and elicited a dose-dependent reduction in baseline ICP.[20]
Increased neural nitric oxide synthase expressions in cavernous muscle
Our study showed nNOS expression was increased in cavernous muscle, but not in cavernous nerve, after METH dosing [Table 3]. Nitric oxide contributes to vascular smooth muscle relaxation.[21] Increased expressions of nNOS were considered beneficial for penile erection. However, METH also exerted strong peripheral and central adrenergic stimulation [4] which may mask the vasodilatory effect of increased nNOS. Another possible explanation was that increased nNOS was a compensation for reduced production of nitric oxide due to vasoconstriction and reduced blood flow.
In contrast, increased nNOS after METH administration provoked an excessive oxidative stress that compromises blood supply and induces neurotoxicity.[22] nNOS may easily undergo uncoupling under oxidative stress and generate ROS rather than NO.[23] More studies are needed to elucidate the effect of increased nNOS expressions in smooth muscle after administration of METH.
METH abuse was associated with neurotoxicity due to dopamine deficits in the central nervous system.[24] Expressions of nNOS in pelvic ganglion cells showed no significant change when compared with control. This might indicate that peripheral neural system was not affected by METH administration. α-SMA, a marker of myofibroblast formation, showed no significant change in tissue after METH administration suggested myofibroblast does not play a role in the pathophysiology of METH.
Several limitations existed in our preliminary study. We did not have sham-controlled group. We had a small experimental animal number that made our data less convincing. The reproducibility of our data should be questioned and needed studies with adequate number of animals to confirm the results. Whether the doses of METH administered in this study were similar with abuser's dose were not known. In the study of repeated dosing, the fixed different doses, instead of an escalating dose regimen, of METH were administered. This flaw of study design limited the application of our study results.
There are three types of NOS, but only nNOS was qualitatively assessed in this study. Although increased expressions of nNOS were first found in this study after administrations of METH, pathophysiology of ED in abusers remains unknown and warrants further study.
This study indicated that a single dosing of METH has an inhibitory effect on ICP. Repeated dosing has a greater inhibition on ICP than a single dosing. Administration of METH increases nNOS expression in cavernous muscle. Our findings suggest novel insights into the ICP regulation and may be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction in METH abusers.
This study was funded by a research grant from Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (DOH97-NNB-1035).
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Tar MT, Martinez LR, Nosanchuk JD, Davies KP. The effect of methamphetamine on an animal model of erectile function. Andrology 2014;2:531-6.
Ning C, Qi L, Wen J, Zhang Y, Zhang W, Wang W, et al. Excessive penile norepinephrine level underlies impaired erectile function in adenosine A1 receptor deficient mice. J Sex Med 2012;9:2552-61.
Açikgöz O, Gönenç S, Kayatekin BM, Uysal N, Pekçetin C, Semin I, et al. Methamphetamine causes lipid peroxidation and an increase in superoxide dismutase activity in the rat striatum. Brain Res 1998;813:200-2.
Davidson C, Gow AJ, Lee TH, Ellinwood EH. Methamphetamine neurotoxicity: Necrotic and apoptotic mechanisms and relevance to human abuse and treatment. Brain Res Brain Res Rev 2001;36:1-22.
Flora G, Lee YW, Nath A, Hennig B, Maragos W, Toborek M, et al. Methamphetamine potentiates HIV-1 tat protein-mediated activation of redox-sensitive pathways in discrete regions of the brain. Exp Neurol 2003;179:60-70.
Prieto D, Kaminski PM, Bagi Z, Ahmad M, Wolin MS. Hypoxic relaxation of penile arteries: Involvement of endothelial nitric oxide and modulation by reactive oxygen species. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2010;299:H915-24.
Wisor JP, Schmidt MA, Clegern WC. Cerebral microglia mediate sleep/wake and neuroinflammatory effects of methamphetamine. Brain Behav Immun 2011;25:767-76.
Chang AY, Chan JY, Chan SH. Differential contributions of nitric oxide synthase isoforms at hippocampal formation to negative feedback regulation of penile erection in the rat. Br J Pharmacol 2002;136:1-8.
Grange RW, Isotani E, Lau KS, Kamm KE, Huang PL, Stull JT, et al. Nitric oxide contributes to vascular smooth muscle relaxation in contracting fast-twitch muscles. Physiol Genomics 2001;5:35-44.
Walkowska A, Sadowski J, Kompanowska-Jezierska E. Oxidative stress and neuronal NOS activity: Putative determinants of rapid blood pressure increase after renal denervation in anaesthetised rats. Physiol Res 2013;62:257-66.
Sun J, Druhan LJ, Zweier JL. Dose dependent effects of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species on the function of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Arch Biochem Biophys 2008;471:126-33.
Kogan FJ, Nichols WK, Gibb JW. Influence of methamphetamine on nigral and striatal tyrosine hydroxylase activity and on striatal dopamine levels. Eur J Pharmacol 1976;36:363-71.
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3], [Figure 4], [Figure 5]
[Table 1], [Table 2], [Table 3]
Chang TA
Jiann BP
Animal model
intracavernous pressure
nitric oxide synthase

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


IGN's Spyro Reignited Trilogy guide has collectible locations for every item in the three games, including Dragons, Orbs and Dragons Eggs!
Due to the sheer amount of them, the Collectibles have been split into the three games in the Reignited Trilogy. The links below will take you to the Collectibles section of each game's dedicated wiki guide, which are compatible with both Reignited and the PS1 originals.


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Reviewed by Sudhirendar Sharma
In a free market economy, the incentive to externalize costs is so huge that the seller and the buyer reach an unapologetic understanding to get away with it.
Cheaponomics: The High Cost of Low Prices, by Michael Carolan, Earthscan/Routledge, 2014
Cheaper products are a marketing gimmick but an enticing one nonetheless. Deep discounts on popular brands release pent-up demand, and less expensive products encourage over-consumption. 'Cheapness' has become an enigma. While one may avoid buying anything considered 'cheap', striving for bargains remains alluring, and the lowest possible price paid for a quality product can be a measure of shopping prowess.
In Cheaponomics: The High Cost of Low Prices, sociology professor Michael Carolan states that 'Cheapness is an illusion.' Low prices arrive an at alarmingly high cost because this low price neither reflects the real cost of production nor accounts for the environmental factors. A 2008 UN study estimated that the cumulative cost of environmental damages caused by 3,000 of the largest publicly-traded corporations in the world could run future generations up to 2.2 trillion USD.
In a free market economy, the incentive to externalize cost offers a comparative advantage to both buyers and sellers, albeit at a tremendous cost to these later generations. Carolan questions the economic status quo, arguing that a system that socializes costs for the benefit of few can do little to enhance well-being for the majority. Drawing on a wide range of examples, he unfolds the compulsive economy of cheaper goods which create a false sense of consumer celebration by making large social and income inequalities tolerable. Over-consumption, which is linked to cheaper products, lies at the root of present-day crises from growing urban trash to mounting atmospheric emissions.
Cheaponomics is a revelation, and Carolan concludes an engaging story with a set of practical recommendations. Governments ought to incentivize accurate pricing and enable affordability as the key to price rationalization in the market. Real cost may make goods expensive in the short term but not over the long term as these would be designed to last longer and avoid wastage. Affordability is about enabling, about capabilities and about holistic well-being rather than the shallow advantages of cheap goods.
no comments	| tags: environmental law and regulation	| posted in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy
Reviewed by Michal Russo, Tufts University
Legitimization of knowledge production occupies the central story of landscape planning in Berlin.
Greening Berlin: The Co-Production of Science, Politics and Urban Nature, by Jens Lachmund, MIT Press, 2013
Lachmund's Greening Berlin offers a rich and historically-exceptional case study to aid scholars in understanding the meaning of "co-producing knowledge," "boundary objects" and "alternative framing." Lachmund's writing can be a bit dense with academic jargon, but the narrative has importance far beyond the field of urban ecology. In the concluding chapter, Lachmund says that "to resolve environmental conflicts what is needed is not just a proliferation of more knowledge," but "public reflection on how we know what we know." Such knowledge, he adds, is "not self-evident, but is shaped and negotiated in situated regimes of nature" (236). This legitimization of knowledge production occupies the central story of nearly a century of landscape planning in Berlin. Dates, names, and events comprise the behind-the-scenes story of why certain policies and actions were chosen over others.
Lachmund describes the many tensions that arose in protecting Berlin's natural areas, echoing Hajer's sentiment that "public environmental discourses should be seen as assemblages of heterogeneous voices and motives whose intrinsic ambivalence persists under the umbrella of seemingly coherent story lines" (224). These differences result in "compensatory conflicts," or differences in priorities and tradeoffs across impacts and their interpretations (when assessing ecological knowledge). Lachmund's protagonists struggle to determine what should count as nature, its value and its function.
Lachmund explains that the conditions surrounding knowledge production in Berlin differed considerably from academic fieldwork. The very practices of observation were reshaped to accommodate issues of evaluation, operationalization, and standardization of institutional and political structures. Far from neutral technical input, ecological knowledge used to resolve compensatory conflicts was up for re-interpretation by interested parties. Lachmund asserts that the city's ecological surveys took the form of boundary objects, reshaping both the scientific method for assessing ecology in the city as well as how environmental issues were framed and engaged with by citizens. Ultimately, he attributes the success of the program to the "co-production of an urban nature regime which exceeded the formal boundaries of science" through a "mutually constitutive interaction of knowledge generation and politics of species preservation."
no comments	| tags: Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Conservation	| posted in Land Use Planning
Reviewed by Tarique Niazi, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
All disasters and the responses to them are socially constructed.
Disaster, Conflict and Society in Crises: Everyday Politics of Crisis Response, edited by Dorothea Hilhorst, Routledge, 2013
Disasters have long been assumed to be "natural," and as such, "inevitable." The founding fathers of Disaster Studies, many of whom were engineers, focused on designing responsive strategies to mitigate the after-effects of disasters. Disaster Studies has since come a long way to recognize the "social construction" of disasters. Environmental sociologists such as Dr. William R. Freudenburg and his colleagues have made major contributions to this way of thinking, arguing for and illustrating how disasters are socially-constituted. From a sociological perspective, "all disasters are man-made," and hence avoidable.
In this context, not only have Dorothea Hilhorst and her fellow contributors in their edited volume on Disaster, Conflict and Society in Crises furthered this way of thinking, but they have also mapped the ways in which disasters are socially constructed. In particular, they have concentrated on the way that "responses" to disasters or crises are conceived. They deploy discourse analysis to help the reader understand the process of social construction of disaster events and thus uncover the battles that often go on among vested interests. They apply discursive analyses to such disparate events as "terrorist violence" in Sri Lanka and the impact of climate change on Mozambique.
Discursive strategies, they argue, help government and non-government actors construct "disasters" and "response to disasters" in a way that tangibly shapes state aid policies, aid governance, and aid politics. In discursive battles, words grow into fighting deeds that shape the outcomes of responsive strategies. Also, the authors argue that conflicts and disasters are emblematic of a breakdown of social order (i.e., chaos and disruption). They also contend that disruption and chaos create opportunities to reorder and reconstitute the institutions that deal with disaster events (referred to as continuity and discontinuity).
Hilhorst, the volume's editor, employs the idiom of "everyday politics" as a frame to uncover the political and social dynamics of aid politics. The first part of the book focuses on the social construction of disasters, responses, and the manner in which local government and non-governmental actors securitize (or depoliticize) their strategies. In the second part, local institutions transform a crisis and become transformed by it, while the third speaks to a variety of interventions that are possible in crisis events. The book offers a wealth of theoretical and empirical ideas in accessible language, providing an invaluable contribution to the discipline of Disaster Studies.
no comments	| tags: risk, science, technology	| posted in Environmental Law and Regulation, Natural Hazards & Risk


After reaching Trivandrum, will drive to Vizhinjam Village-which has a lot to say about the history. There are many place to visit here like the vizhinjam fishing harbor, Rock-cut temple in Vizhinjam, Mosque, and so on.. After that visit the Kovalam Beach itself to relax ourselves and to have a relief from the tiresome journey. Many adventurous activities and leisure activities are waiting there for you. Lots of foreigners come here for chilling. This is one of the finest and beautiful beaches to relax. After lunch will visit the Lighthouse. It is 30-35 metres long and painted in red and white. There are 142 spiral stairs to reach the top observational platform-visitors climb these step and have the most beautifuyl sight from there. From there our next sightseeing point is Lighthouse Beach, named because the light house is at the southern end of Kovalam beach. Its just similar to other beaches in Kovalam and one of the most preferred honeymoon destinations.
After Breakfast drive toVarkala. After reaching Varkala and having an energetic breakfast visit the famous SreeJanardhana Swami Temple, a form of Lord Vishnu, 2000 years old-also known as Dakshin Kaashi (Benaras of the South). Sivagiri is the next visiting place, Mutt of Sri Narayana Guru where he lived and had Samadhi is a must place to visit. After having the lunch it's time to deviate ourselves to a vacation mood. Visit Varkala Beach (Papasnanam Beach), a must to see place. It's believed that taking a bath here will wash away and destroys all your sins. It's a calm and quiet hamlet of Varkala, an ideal holiday destination to explore at the maximum. Activities waiting for you-Sunbathing, Wind Surfing, Parasailing and soaking in the beauty of the beach with extremely wonderful sightseeing. Next Visit Anjengo Lighthouse, 10-12kms from Varkala built by the British a century ago. The sight here takes you to the ancient british period and you can experience the same.


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5) list of persons submitting data and information received from such persons.
(5) Data entered in the database shall be preserved from entry thereof in the database until ten years after the death of a person. Data shall be pseudonymised once a year at the end of the calendar year during which the retention period expired.
(6) Pseudonymised data entered in the database shall be preserved for a term of 65 years after the expiry of which such data are rendered anonymous once a year at the end of the calendar year.
(7) Specific retention periods, conditions and procedure shall be provided for in the statutes of the database.


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text:
import KMarkdownViewer from './KMarkdownViewer.vue'
import KMediaBrowser from './KMediaBrowser.vue'

export {
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women's concentration camp. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women. These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive.
Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in Verity's own words, as she writes her account for her captors.
Dual narrators are always worth it!
I went into this book knowing very little, except that it was about a girl's experience during WWII. I don't know if I even read the description! So many other historical YA titles get compared to it, so I figured it would be worth the read. I was right!
Overall, I definitely recommend this one to fans of YA, WWII literature and audiobooks.
I wanted to keep listening as it was a captivating story with emotional relationships.
It brought out all of the emotions. It was fast paced and presented in a unique way.
One of my favourite listens of 2017!
** spoiler alert ** Code Name Verity was a very hard audio book to put down. What an interesting story paired with some of the most amazing narration I've heard yet!
The story is fascinating: we're hearing the written confessions (of sorts) of a British spy held in France by the Gestapo, but the confession seems to be more a stalling tactic/life story about another person. And that person is who the Germans think is writing the confession because IDs were switched somehow in the mayhem of...crash landing? Spy work? All will be revealed through the written text, which provides glimpses of daily life in the German cells while unveiling the back story of Maddie, the friend and main character of the narration. This person is Verity, though in her story she may be someone else, but I don't want to give more away. Following along?
Well then it all changes. Part 2 of the book (with a new narrator) is now actually Maddy and she's trying to explain what happened to the actual prisoner (the one who told Maddie's story, remember) while also telling the story of her own desperate situation as a crash landed female pilot with incorrect ID papers. Oh the drama!
I probably liked part 1 the most, the narrator was phenomenal and crafted amazing vocal styles with accents, emotion, amazing depth, and hilarious intonations. The story was also such a mystery - who is the actual narrator, who is Maddie, what is with the constant references to different types of paper, and what will happen to her as part of the German interrogation?! The second half was equally good, though perhaps less mysterious as the plot was more straightforward. The second narrator was also great, though I feel didn't need to cover as much range or emotional depth. Still, a great voice to listen to.
I will definitely listen to this book again, the narration was so compelling and story probably needs another go round to make sure I fully understand the subtleties. There are so many twists and hidden meanings! I also wonder if reading this book in physical form would add to it - is the different paper shown in any way other than through the words?
I did not realize this is supposed to be a young adult novel, and would argue it is for quite mature young adults. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in a good story and great narrators.
As a history nerd with a soft spot for epistolary novels I found Code Name Verity to be a wonderful read.
Believe me when I say, you do not want to read about this book before you actually listen to it. There is absolutely no way to write a review without giving away spoilers..no way at all! All I will say is that it is a poignant story of friendship and survival by turns funny, sad and scary. It is wonderfully written and narrated and it will stay with you long after you have finished listening. In fact, I can almost guarantee it is a book you will listen to a second time.
Other reviewers have outlined the plot, the story and what the reader/listener can expect to happen in this book. So I'll take a moment to say that I found this book to be one of those special novels that gets under your skin and stays with you. The two main characters, these best friends have such a special bond in a time in our history in a part of the world where atrocities were taking place daily. In spite of (or perhaps because of ?) these women were especially kind and brave and full of honor and grace. Imagine if we all could aspire to be such caring special human beings in the face of such horror. Bravo Ms. Wein. And equally special, the narrators brought these amazing characters to life just perfectly. This is a wonderful special book. A must listen.
The book is constructed so cleverly with such elegance that you won't see the end coming, though it was always there over you like a sledge hammer. And when it hits you, and it will, you'll realize the force of the story and the talent of this author. You'll realize this is a more fiendishly complex and riveting story than you already thought it was.
A piece of historical fiction that is an espionage thriller, impressively capable of standing up to even the most sophisticated of the genre, not just limited to YA, although none of them could match the heart of this adventure. The themes of courage and friendship are both heartbreaking and uplifting, and the basis of the story, but the history is remarkable. By describing the air raids, the tensions felt by the civilians, and finally the torture endured by the captured spy, Wein brings the terror of war to life. [Imagine how terrifying: Captured by an SS officer for something so simple as looking the wrong way before crossing the street...she looked left, like the British, instead of right, like the French.] Hiding behind the narrator's allusions to J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan," Kipling's "Kim," Shakespeare, and other literary works, the daily horrors take on a fairytale-like quality that add to the overall masquerade. These two great characters/narrators will grab your heart and burrow in, so make room. I want to see the movie; make T-shirts with their names emblazoned on the front; join their fan clubs.
Yea for the girls...I love that the contribution of females is portrayed so wonderfully by this book. These two friends have all the power, bravery, and loyalty of the females in The Hunger Games or Divergent, etc., but these are human characters created from history, not from fantasy or science fiction. The similar acts of bravery during WWII and other wars are well documented. Women weren't only helpful Rosie the Riveters -- they were soldiers, spies, pilots; they fought, they were tortured and they died.
My little sis reads for a living; over all YA and Children's books for libraries in another state. When Code Name Verity was published, she told me it was great, the new favorite of her Young Writers Group, which is comprised of people ages 14-23. She also told me she thought I'd like it. So, I purchased this in 2013 per her recommendation, foolishly put it in my TBR file thinking YA would be good, but not big-girl good...stupid mistake. I read a couple hundred books between downloading this and finally listening. Code Name Verity is one of the most impressive.
And, the narration...I'm so surprised the book hasn't been nominated for an award for the narration. It was outstanding. A Scottish brogue, French, German, English -- every accent spot on, clear, and animated. They both give spectacular performances.
Just fantastic in everyway. I hope this helps you decide if this is a book you'd enjoy.
What did you love best about Code Name Verity?
The complexity of the spy puzzle was the most appealing aspect of the story's plot for me. It required some careful listening, since clues are casually dropped throughout the book.
What other book might you compare Code Name Verity to and why?
In most ways, this story is unique, revealing pieces of history that were unknown to me. But if pressed, I might compare it to Aidan Chambers's Postcards from No Man's Land. This also takes place during World War II, with two stories that run parallel and gradually come together, at least thematically. Another complex, multi-narrator tale set in World War II era England is Connie Willis's Blackout, and its conclusion, All Clear.
What does Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell bring to the story that you wouldn't experience if you just read the book?
Morven Christie is absolutely stellar in her part of the narration. She moves easily through the accents and languages of Scotland, England, France, and Germany. There is all the panache and bravado that one would expect of her character.
Who was the most memorable character of Code Name Verity and why?
Verity, the ultimate changeling, is such a powerful character that she is present in every scene, even by her absence. One of the main appeals of her story is ferreting out the truth in what she describes. Maddie's narration is but a satellite of Verity's gripping tale.
Where does Code Name Verity rank among all the audiobooks you've listened to so far?
It is one of my very favorite, both narrators are fantastic and the storytelling is great. The way the story unravels and the two parts fit together is makes it very interesting. I stayed up late and woke up early to finish it.
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, because it is a story of WW2 told differently, more of a character study, and despite the tragic conditions there is humor and warmth.
I love the stories of Maddie & Julia's developing friendship, when they ride bikes into the countryside, and their adventures at the airbase before their mission.
If you could rename Code Name Verity, what would you call it?
While this is classified as a YA novel, as an adult I loved it. I highly recommend it!
Heroines who learn from mistakes - refreshing!
This novel is a pleasure to listen to. It is the story of two women of very different backgrounds who become friends in the first four years of WWII (39-43). Wein does as excellent job of evoking the era and providing little details. Did you know that the ball point pen first came into use during WWI ... or why?
Of course, there are wonderful plot twists. And not everything ends happily.
I like my fictional heroines self-possessed. Not those heroines popular in so many series who make the same mistakes over and over, and over yet again. These two women actually learn from their experiences.
The use of two narrators, one for each woman, is a blessing. Each captures in voice the background and upbringing of her assigned character.
I was very disappointed not to find other books by this author available on Audible, nor (with a meaningless exception) other narration work by Ms. Christie.
Code Name Verity is an absolute must-read.
I wish I had something really original to add to the reviews of Code Name Verity that would compel people to read this really original and enthralling book immediately, but the best I can do is wholeheartedly concur with the majority.
Yes, this book does have a bit of a slow start, but stick with it and you will be amply rewarded with a terrific reading experience. Like others, I also can't recount anything beyond bare bone details of the plot without giving away spoilers, which in this case really would spoil your terrific reading experience. Two girls join the war effort in World War II Britain, and during a mission, their plane crashes over Nazi-occupied France. One of the girls (let's call her The Spy) is captured, and through her written confession of everything she knows about the British War Effort, she tells the story of her friendship with Maddie, The Pilot. That is simple enough, but Code Name Verity is so much more. Wein's plotting ability is unsurpassed, but she combines this with amazingly beautiful writing. There is a scene where one of the narrators is describing the green flash (read the book and you'll understand!) that painted a particularly resplendent picture for me. Wein also manages to create vivid characters that I really cared about. Her extraordinary ability to write characters extends to knowing how to write the Nazi antagonists so they are not overdrawn caricatures. Since this is historical fiction, I was convinced that The Pilot and The Spy were based on real people. Wein does an author's debriefing at the end of the book that further explains and adds to the story.
There are several small, possibly implausible plot points which may require the reader to suspend belief a bit, but the rest of the book is so good that any suspension of belief you have to do is easy and worthwhile. This is a place where I really wish I could award half stars on Audible, as Code Name Verity is a solid 4.5 stars.
I have never before finished a book and immediately started a reread, but I've been compelled to with this book. My first read was as an audiobook, but I've just purchased the Kindle version and will be reading Code Name Verity a second time this afternoon. I know I'll be rewarded both intellectually and emotionally, and I hope other readers will reward themselves by reading this excellent book.
This book was a step out of my comfort zone, not something I would have picked up on my own. I was prompted to listen to Code Name Verity by an online book club, and I am glad I did.
Pay attention during this book, there are so many small details you will miss that come back later if you don't listen. I think if I were to listen to it again I would find so many things I missed the first time around.
My husband did not expect to like this book, nor did I to be honest, but we were both wrong. The book was only rated by 16 people when I picked it up, so while the reviews were very good I still had my reservations. It held both our attentions and the little details that were part of the parallel story were like hidden Easter eggs in the book to be found.
As a side note: You may need tissues.
What made the experience of listening to Code Name Verity the most enjoyable?
The narrators of this story are pure magic. They brought the characters to life with humor and emotional that brought me into the story and wouldn't let me go. But the plot was not what I was expecting. It changed and developed and shocked me. I love that.
I like that you don't - and can't - really understand everything you're reading/hearing until the second half. It requires careful listening because there are a lot of important details. A few times I missed things that came up later and that frustrated me. But there is so much detail and color and pain and life in here.
I love love loved when the story turned and I realized I had no idea what was going on and now I do and it's amazing!
Which character – as performed by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell – was your favorite?
Oh choosing between them is like saying "What do you like best about chocolate ice-cream? That it's chocolate or that it's ice cream?" Um, what? They go together. Without one you can't understand the other. Literally Verity's account would be confusing and misunderstood without Maddie's, and Maddie wouldn't even matter if Verity's story didn't explain their incredible friendship. They are a team to be taken as a whole. Christie and Gaskell are PERFECT narrators. Their characters are written very differently and they own their parts completely.
I both laughed and cried. I gasped. I sighed. I ached. When a writer can make you feel those things, they own you. And Wein completely owns me forever.
Take your time with this. And don't multitask. I did, and I missed so many things. The twists lack punch it you're not paying attention. I learned my lesson about a third of the way through but I wish I had give this the proper focus it deserves. It's beautifully written and wonderfully performed.
Tremendous, exhilarating and unique. A must buy!
How can a WWII spy novel be unique? Ive read the best of them including the entire works of Higgins, Follett, Greg Ilse wrote a great one, Forsythe too. So I was skeptical and even a bit weary of the subject matter even though its been several years since i read a WWII novel. Cynthia's review tipped me this might be special, and i am so grateful it did.
For some of us, there are times in our lives when we experience a special relationship where the synergy of both personalties, self esteem, intelligence, ingenuity and drive creates something greater than the relationship itself. Ive seen and experienced it in sales, several friendships and in marriage. This is the story of two remarkable young British women who meet and work together just before the beginning of WWII. Individuallly they are smart and resourceful, though each is exceptional in different ways. They become best friends, but their relationship results in a much larger, more deadly force for Brittain against the Nazis.
The narration is eloquent. The narrative is sharp and funny.


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text:
Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes Premier Cru 2002
Chardonnay from Puligny-Montrachet, Cote de Beaune, Cote d'Or, Burgundy, France
750ML / 0% ABV
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The history of Maison Vincent Girardin is relatively recent. In 1980, at the age of 19, Vincent Girardin, the son of a family of winegrowers based in Santenay since the 17th century, decided to strike out on his own and began producing wine from five acres of vines that he had inherited from his parents. From his earliest youth, Vincent had a passion for working with vines and great respect for the potential that they represent, and his ambition was to produce his own wine. The quality of his wines was quickly recognized by connoisseurs all over the world, and this enabled him to expand his activity, focusing primarily on the great white and red wines of the Côte de Beaune. To cope with the growing demand for his wines, he developed an approach that was new in Burgundy: he purchased grapes from producers who shared the same philosophy and the same high standards. In 2012, Vincent Girardin sold his operation to a long-standing partner of the Maison. Jean-Pierre Nié, President of the Compagnie des Vins d'Autrefois in Beaune, naturally decided to continue with the small team of nine people that had been faithful to the Maison for many years. Today, winemaker Eric Germain continues to uphold the style of the wines.
A source of some of the finest, juicy, silky and elegantly floral Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet lies just to the north of Chassagne-Montrachet, a village with which it shares two of its Grands Crus vineyards: Le Montrachet itself and Bâtard-Montrachet. Its other two, which it owns in their entirety, are Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. And still, some of the finest white Burgundy wines come from the prized Premiers Crus vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet. To name a few, Les Pucelles, Le Clavoillon, Les Perrières, Les Referts and Les Combettes, as well as the rest, lie northeast and up slope from the Grands Crus.
Farther to the southeast are village level whites and the hamlet of Blagny where Pinot noir grows best and has achieved Premier Cru status.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While practically every country in the wine producing world grows it, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. As far as cellar potential, white Burgundy rivals the world's other age-worthy whites like Riesling or botrytized Semillon. California is Chardonnay's second most important home, where both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines enjoy great popularity. Oregon, Australia and South America are also significant producers of Chardonnay.
In the Glass
When planted on cool sites, Chardonnay flavors tend towards grapefruit, lemon zest, green apple, celery leaf and wet flint, while warmer locations coax out richer, more tropical flavors of melon, peach and pineapple. Oak can add notes of vanilla, coconut and spice, while malolactic fermentation imparts a soft and creamy texture.
Chardonnay is as versatile at the table as it is in the vineyard. The crisp, clean, Chablis-like styles go well with flaky white fish with herbs, scallops, turkey breast and soft cheeses. Richer Chardonnays marry well with lobster, crab, salmon, roasted chicken and creamy sauces.
Sommelier Secret
Since the 1990s, big, oaky, buttery Chardonnays from California have enjoyed explosive popularity. More recently, the pendulum has begun to swing in the opposite direction, towards a clean, crisp style that rarely utilizes new oak. In Burgundy, the subregion of Chablis, while typically employing the use of older oak barrels, produces a similar bright and acid-driven style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy its lighter style.
ZZZREFPRODUCT488734 Item# 488734


This lets you run a webcomic in your serendipity (s9y) blog. Originally by Wesley Hwang-Chung. This version uses tags rather than categories to identify content, and does away with some code for things that can more elegantly be solved with style sheets (CSS).
See it live in my weblog°!


The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday inaugurated the presidential investigative panel to review compliance of Armed Forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement.
He said it is the responsibility of the Armed Forces and every one in government to ensure compliance with human rights norms and basic rules of decency observed across the world.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly stated that the administration's focus is on three broad issues – security, economy and the fight against corruption.
He said: "The first security, is one without which others may prove impossible. In any event fundamental to the functions of the state, is the protection of lives and property and livelihood of citizens in peace or in conflict.
"For our government, we add that respect for the lives of Nigerian citizens is not just a constitutional but also a moral duty. This is why it is incumbent upon us even as we maintain security especially in conflict situations to interrogate, as we go along on a regular basis, alleged crimes and human rights abuses by all sides in these conflicts and insurgencies.
"Today's occasion is in continuation of the efforts of this administration geared towards attaining this goal.
He said the findings of the board of inquiries set up by the Nigerian Army to investigate extra-judicial killings and rights violation by soldiers, which was submitted in June 2017, would be made available to the new panel.
The acting President said the report of the Inspector-General of Police's investigation on alleged sexual abuse and exploitation in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the Northeast is being awaited.


text:
Die Liste der Einträge im National Register of Historic Places im Buchanan County in Iowa führt die Bauwerke und historischen Stätten im Buena Vista County auf, die in das National Register of Historic Places aufgenommen wurden.

|}

Siehe auch
 Liste der National Historic Landmarks in Iowa
 National Register of Historic Places in Iowa

Einzelnachweise

Denkmal im National Register of Historic Places (Iowa)
Buena Vista
!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Reactance may refer to:

 Electrical reactance, the opposition to a change in voltage due to capacitance (capacitive reactance) or in current due to inductance (inductive reactance); the imaginary component of AC impedance
 Magnetic reactance, a similar effect in magnetism
 Reactance (psychology), an emotional reaction to pressure or persuasion that results in the strengthening or adoption of a contrary belief

See also
 Reactants, chemical reagents
 Reactivity (disambiguation)


The Devil has occupied a unique and unrivalled position in art, literature and the mind of humankind. One might argue that no other concept or entity has ever loomed so large in man's imagination and intellect. Satanism, in turn, has grown into a fascinating and alluring set of diverse beliefs and philosophies. Collected here are tales and news clippings of various satanic practices, from the humorous to the terrifying, including the black mass from England and Western Europe.


Recruits is an Australian factual television program that premiered on Channel Ten on 4 May 2009. A second season began on 29 July 2010.
Recruits follows the day-to-day life of a group of police recruits on their way to becoming police officers in the New South Wales Police Force. It follows two groups of Policing recruits and Probationary Constables from the New South Wales Police College at Goulburn, showing how they use their training and skills as probationary constables in the state.


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Where to begin?! Since the primary housing until the last, first, the history was largely prolonged action. The coordinated focused an abundant excess time to show us the feeling between legend and courageous woman, rather than adhering to the plot of the apparition. Going to the plot of the story, so there are none. useless and lost family show tunes in the original scenes give the appearance of the executive was only trying to drag more history. Too many cuts of hops and the sudden spike damaged the moving image in general. The first two songs of the film were easing, however what remains of the melodies are wrongly set, one might even say that they made no sense. The repulsive component is indicated only in a couple of scenes, aside to maintain the kind of the film to the end. rookie performance and terrible heading altering sullied the moving image. The script and the absence of history make us wonder whether the film might have over.The lead author (Bellam Ramakrishna Reddy) seems to have considered Drushya Kavyam in one minute otherworldly fervor. The thread is Annamayya devotees, however when viewed as a story, this film falls level.


Never Let Your Guard Down! -- Zero Xcuses Podcast Zero Xcuses Podcast: Build Discipline, Regain Control Over Your Time & Eliminate Excuses!
As we experience success, often times we may be tempted to take a break, ease off our efforts or simply become complacent. When things are going smoothly is the time when we are vulnerable to experiencing a set back. Tune in to today's episode to hear how to not let your guard down and keep your momentum moving forward!


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text:
Blowing Bubbles
by Lewis H Lapham
Harper's Magazine Notebook (November 2007)
Men have an indistinct notion that if they keep up this activity of
joint stocks and spades long enough all will at length ride somewhere,
in next to no time, and for nothing; but though a crowd rushes to the
depot, and the conductor shouts "All aboard!" when the smoke is blown
away and the vapor condensed, it will be perceived that a few are
riding, but the rest are run over, - and it will be called, and will be,
"A melancholy accident". -Henry David Thoreau
Reading the reports from the scene of August's melancholy accident in
the country's credit markets - the bursting of the home-mortgage bubble,
banks sinking into the sand of subprime loans, hedge funds losing 100
percent of their imagined value in a matter of days, the Dow Jones
Industrial Average dropping 250 points in the space of half an hour - I
was struck by the resemblances between the speculation floated on the
guarantee of easy money on Wall Street and the one puffed up on the
promise of certain victory in Iraq. To buyers of highly leveraged debt
the promoters of the "All aboard!" money schemes issued PowerPoints
similar to those concocted in the White House and circulated with former
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's proviso that "there are known
unknowns ... But there are also unknown unknowns". A surplus of both
commodities was found in the luggage of the travelers run over in August
on the road to El Dorado. A number of them deserve to be rendered as
military acronyms:
The "NINJA Loan" - Extended to borrowers possessed of no income, no job,
no assets - comparable to the predatory lending of the United States
Army to the freedom-loving sheikhs of Iraq.
The "Neutron Loan" - Designed to remove the occupants but leave the
property intact. Within the next year over a million American home
mortgages are due to foreclose. In August 80,000 people were "displaced
by violence" from their houses and neighborhoods in Iraq; another 2.2
million Iraqis have been obliged to flee the country.
The "Teaser Loan" - An adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) sometimes
requiring no money down or up front but in all variants offered at a low
introductory rate that adjusts only in an upward direction. The American
liberation of Iraq was originally priced at $50 billion over a span of
seven months; the expenses now run to $2 billion a week. Joseph
Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, estimates the eventual cost
of the Iraqi investment at $2 trillion.
The "Liar Loan" - Requiring no documentation attesting to the borrower's
net worth, annual income, or intention to repay - the same terms on
which the CIA accepted the story about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass
destruction from the Iraqi defector code-named "Curveball".
SIV - "Structured investment vehicle" that "securitizes" subprime loans,
thus creating credit with "access to liabilities". Soon after the
invasion of Iraq the infatuation with a similar method of transforming
loss into gain prompted the Pentagon to welcome terrorists arriving in
Baghdad and Anbar province from everywhere in the Middle East. The
bundling of America's enemies into one target supported the notion that
the war on terror could be won at a single blow. Rush Limbaugh delivered
the good news to his radio audience in the summer of 2003: "We don't
have to go anywhere to find them! They've fielded a jihad all-star team".
"Toxic Waste" - Degraded financial material added as ballast to
higher-quality assets contained in a mortgage-backed bond or security.
AAA - Bond rating affixed by Moody's and Standard & Poor's to SIVs
transporting "toxic waste". The certifications correspond to former CIA
Director George Tenet's assuring President Bush that finding WMDs in
Iraq was a "slam dunk".
Risk Assessment Models - Systems of stock-market trading quantified as
mathematical algorithms and engineered to guarantee the perpetual motion
of profit. They bear comparison to the Pentagon's arsenal of
high-technology weapons - the ones incapable of losing a war.
Model Misbehavior - Inexplicable displays of insubordination on the part
of the algorithms, believed to account for the August loss of $5.5
trillion in the global stock markets. The Bush Administration attributes
its failures in Iraq to model misbehavior on the part of the think-tank
construct (computer-generated, ideologically enhanced) of a
constitutional democracy in Iraq.
CDO - Collateralized debt obligation. A coalition of the willing
assembled with debt instruments of a strength equivalent to the armed
forces sent to Iraq from Albania.
Bubble - Employed as a verb in eighteenth-century London. "To Bubble" -
that is, to cheat, swindle, perpetrate a fraud. In contemporary American
military parlance, a noun - the "surge" of liquidity in the form of
30,000 troops restoring calm to the Baghdad market in civil obedience.
August's misfortunes in the credit markets produced a good deal of
collateral damage elsewhere in the economy-severe losses in the
construction and retail trades, to school and sewer districts, in the
hotel and travel industries, to the 1.7 million families forced to flee
their homes - but the proofs of Wall Street's stupefied greed didn't
rouse the news media or the season's presidential candidates to
exclamations of anger and disgust. Throughout the whole of its history,
the American commonwealth has been subject to the depredations of what
George Washington knew to be "a corrupt squadron of paper-dealers"; a
hundred or even fifty years ago the brokers of the fast shuffle might
have been seen in savage cartoons like those drawn by Thomas Nast
(top-hatred dancing pigs) or pilloried in the language once voiced by
Walt Whitman ("canker'd, crude, superstitious and rotten ...") and E L
Godkin ("a gaudy stream of bespangled, belaced, and beruffled barbarians").
Once upon a time in galaxies far, far away, we recognized the character
of the risk in what was known to the first Dutch settlers in
seventeenth-century New Amsterdam, many of them participants in land or
stock-jobbing ventures, as "The Feast of Fools". It wasn't that the new
arrivals on the American shore didn't believe or delight in the
expectation and promise of fairy gold. Understood as the most demotic of
economic activities, expressive of a yearning for freedom, the game of
speculative finance aligns with the American passion for gambling and
matches the spirit the bet placed by the Declaration of Independence on
the wheel of fortune set up with the slots marked "Life, Liberty and the
Pursuit of Happiness". But we used to know that sometimes the numbers
crap out.
The knowledge began to disappear from the American consciousness and
vocabulary during the dawn of the new "Morning in America" that Ronald
Reagan perceived on the horizon of the 1980s when he set up his
rose-colored telescope on the White House roof. Convinced that "the
difference between an American and any other kind of person is that an
American lives in anticipation of the future because he knows it will be
a great place", Reagan brought with him the preferred attitude that the
dealers in rainbows seek to instill in the minds of the customers
shopping for financial salvation and political romance. Everybody a
winner; the flowers never die.
The attitude has been sustained over the past twenty-five years by the
corporate news media's increasingly messianic testimonies to the wonder
and wisdom of the free market (Alan Greenspan as infallible as the
Pope), by the entertainment industry's loudly applauding the miraculous
transformations of frogs into princes (Donald Trump the hero of our
time), by the government's policy of providing the banks with infusions
of cheap credit on which to float speculative bubble baths (in 1987,
1998, 2001, again in 2007), by a steadily multiplying herd of eager
buyers, their number now estimated at one in every two Americans acting
either as independent agents or as participants in mutual and pension
funds, seeking to acquire, at steadily rising prices, beach front
property on the coast of Utopia.
Together with the promises of an always brighter tomorrow (available on
the Internet, delivered within twenty-four hours) , the widely
distributed faith in the philosophers' stone (that is, the one with
which medieval alchemists supposedly turned lead into gold) accords with
the revelation bestowed on a correspondent for the New York Times in the
autumn of 2004 by a White House sage identified at the time as "a senior
adviser to Bush" but now generally assumed to have been Karl Rove,
President Bush's recently retired man-for-all-seasons. Disdainful of the
meager and obsolete truths that informed the thinking of "the
reality-based community", the sage opened a wider-angle lens on the
vision beheld by Ronald Reagan.
Guys like you, he said, "believe that solutions emerge from your
judicious study of discernible reality. That's not the way the world
really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create
our own reality. And while you're studying that reality - judiciously,
as you will - we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you
can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's
actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."
Which didn't mean that the study would be easy to pursue. The Bush
Administration's obsessive hiding of its actions and motives (from
itself as well as from a public audit) rules against the handing-out of
brochures illustrated with the four-color posters of imperial fantasies
decorating the walls at the White House, the Pentagon, the Office of the
Attorney General. On Wall Street the hedge against having to tell the
truth is formed with exemptions from state and federal regulation that
yield the elixir of "opacity". Highly valued by the speculators in the
nineteenth-century stock swindles engineered by Commodore Vanderbilt and
Daniel Drew, opacity allows the private-equity operations to bubble both
the government and their clients, empowering the dealers in SIVs in the
same way that it serves the creators of new realities in Mesopotamia and
assists the poker players in the Las Vegas casinos. Unfortunately, as
with the water in the tale of the sorcerer's apprentice, too much
opacity sloshing around on the trading floors makes it impossible not
only to see what cards the other players hold in their hands but also to
know how much money is on the table. The government in March stopped
publishing the figure that measures the extent of America's money
supply, possibly because by some estimates the financial risk exposure
in the global markets for leveraged derivatives now stands at a sum
somewhere in the vicinity of $60 trillion, four times the size of the
American economy.
When the smoke was blowing away and the vapor being condensed at the
scene of the August wreckage, the fear of ghosts in the Wall Street
attic precluded any movement in the markets for social conscience. The
headlines flowed from the springs of panic, not from the wellheads of
rage, the concern expressed for the concentrations of America's wealth
(its safety, comfort, and good grooming) rather than for the health and
wellbeing of the American citizenry. Together with most everybody else
in the society, the big-ticket print and electronic media are heavily
invested in the virtual realities that not only sustain the opulence of
the country's rentier classes but also shape the course of the country's
politics, sponsor its shows of conspicuous consumption, control the
disposition of its armies. God forbid that the emperors of ice cream
should be seen standing around naked on the reefs of destruction.
The financial press rounded up expert witnesses to cite the canonical
distinction between risk ("present when future events occur with
measurable probability") and uncertainty ("present when the likelihood
of future events is indefinite or incalculable"), to implore the Federal
Reserve for a surge of more money (Jim Cramer shouting into the camera
at CNBC, "We have Armageddon!... This is not the time to be
complacent!"), to say of the SIVs destroyed by the financial equivalents
of improvised roadside bombs, "It is not the corpses at the surface that
are scary, it is the unknown corpses below the surface that may pop up
unexpectedly". "Corpse" in its Wall Street usage refers to a
non-performing financial instrument, not to a dead human being.
In the context of the war in Iraq, the word refers to a non-performing
geopolitical instrument. If over the past four years Wall Street's
deployment of lethal paper has increased the country's mortgage debt to
$9.5 trillion, the Bush Administration's deployment of lethal weapons
has outsourced or exhausted much of the country's military capacity,
meanwhile reducing the credit rating of the All Aboard! American
superpower scheme from an investment-grade security to that of a junk
bond. By the end of August both speculations (the liberalization of
America's capital markets, the liberation of the Islamic Middle East)
were losing "tactical momentum" in the reality-based community. The
Washington politicians faced difficulties similar to those faced by Wall
Street's squadron of paper dealers - how to "securitize" the subprime
loans backing the Iraqi civil war, where to find leverage in the
imaginary numbers attesting to the soundness of the Anbar province ARM,
what degree of protection was left in the hedge of opacity.
The preoccupation with derivatives forecloses debate about the worth of
the underlying investment - the value or non-value of the war as a thing
in itself - and shifts the discussion to the positioning of the
political risk. Process, not product. Not why or to what end do we
continue to kill our own soldiers (the known unknowns) as well as Iraqi
civilians (the unknown unknowns), but which artful dodge stands the best
chance of beguiling the voters in next year's elections while at the
same time preserving the bubble floated on the belief that America's
invincible military power serves as collateral for the $2.5 trillion
debt to foreign central banks that America has neither the means nor the
intention to repay.
Among speculators in the commodity pits trading geopolitical futures,
the rumors speak, as they do among the speculators following the play in
the stock markets, to the coming of "the next big thing". Soon after the
Labor Day weekend the financial press was unanimous in the opinion that
the Federal Reserve was bound to step up the flows of liquidity to the
Wall Street banks in order to sustain the world's faith in the American
dollar. Informed sources in Washington were predicting a preemptive
military strike against Iran. Three Navy battle groups were known to be
present in the Persian Gulf, the president was casting the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard in an increasingly evil light (terrorists, enemies
of civilization), and how better to replenish the credit lost in Iraq
than with a weapons-grade CDO spreading the risk to investors everywhere
within range of a melancholy nuclear accident. With us or against us;
buy American or lose the chance of a lifetime.
Lewis H Lapham is the National Correspondent for Harper's Magazine and
the editor of Lapham's Quarterly.
http://www.billtotten.blogspot.com
http://www.ashisuto.co.jp
Posted by kevin at 12/03/2007 10:33:00 pm
Life after peak oil -- better for everyone!
The Catastrophist View
Financial Evolution - brilliant stuff!!!
Schultz sees an apocalypse now
The fright before Christmas
Satyajit Das: Socialism for Wall Street
Interest rate 'freeze' - the real story is fraud
The plan to topple Pakistan's military
It's Not 1929, but It's the Biggest Mess Since
Pleas for rate cut as interbank loans dive
The $41B Bomb Citi Doesn't Want You to Know About


West Sussex, on the South Coast, is a thriving area with job opportunities available in a large number of the blue chip employers that are located there, as well as some of the many rapidly growing SMEs.
The region is perfectly located for its close proximity to the capital however many companies chose to locate themselves in West Sussex itself. With Gatwick airport close by West Sussex is the perfect location for those who require regular international travel as part of their jobs. Companies already located in West Sussex include British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Rolls Royce and The Body Shop.
Towns such as Crawley, Gatwick and Billingshurst provide many of the regular opportunities that arise in West Sussex. The local enterprise partnership is helping to drive new job creation in the private sector and opportunities are currently being made available in sectors such as construction, logistics, engineering and technology plus many more.
For more jobs in West Sussex see our vacancies below.


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text:
A sonic map of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. App available from the iTunes store now.
The last of the Magnificent Seven, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a magical place, an inner city wilderness and the largest urban woodland in London. These recordings have been made to listen to whilst wandering its winding paths. They are a mixture of interviews, field recording and archival recordings from the British Library.
If you can't get to the park, put on a pair of headphones, close your eyes and listen to them here.
We hope you get lost.
Lose yourself in the lost voices and forgotten layers hidden in the woodland, all waiting to be heard.
See if you can hear the invisible chapel, meet Rabbit who catches bats and Christopher who got lost at sea.
Charlie Brown had a pub full of monkeys and the largest funeral the East End had ever seen.
Hear tales of surviving doodlebugs and playing with shrapnel, and a circle of horses who snuffle in your ears.
These are just some of the 28 intimate, audio portraits waiting for you in the park.
Squirrels and dogs
Traffic jams in Uganda and dogs chasing squirrels here in the park have more in common that you might think
Transport to Tower Hamlets
Cemetery Park, E3 4PX
Tubes: Mile End and Bow Road.
Buses: D6, D7, D8, 25, 277, 323, 339
The cemetery park is open 24 hours
a day, every day of the year.
Produced by Jo Morris and Susanna Grant.
All original music by Darren Hayman.
Many thanks to Cheryl Tipp at the British Library's National Sound Archive and to Ken and his team for making the cemetery park the place it is.