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Cancer Research and Treatment > Volume 48(2); 2016 > Article
Yoo, Kim, Ro, Im, Im, Kim, Ahn, Jung, Song, Kang, Park, and Chung: Circulating Plasma Biomarkers for TSU-68, an Oral Antiangiogenic Agent, in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Cancer Res Treat. 2016; 48(2): 499-507.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2015.089
Circulating Plasma Biomarkers for TSU-68, an Oral Antiangiogenic Agent, in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Changhoon Yoo, MD1, Sung-Bae Kim, MD, PhD1, Jungsil Ro, MD, PhD2, Seock-Ah Im, MD, PhD3, Young-Hyuck Im, MD, PhD4, Jee Hyun Kim, MD, PhD5, Jin-Hee Ahn, MD, PhD1, Kyung Hae Jung, MD, PhD1, Hong Suk Song, MD, PhD6, Seok Yun Kang, MD, PhD7, Hee Sook Park, MD, PhD8, Hyun-Cheol Chung, MD, PhD9
1Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
2Center for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea
3Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
4Division of Hematology-Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
5Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
6Department of Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, Korea
7Department of Hematology and Oncology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
8Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
9Department of Medical Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence: Sung-Bae Kim, MD, PhD Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Korea
Tel: 82-2-3010-3217 Fax: 82-2-3010-6961 E-mail: sbkim3@amc.seoul.kr
Received March 3, 2015 Accepted May 20, 2015
Copyright © 2016 by the Korean Cancer Association
This study analyzed the role of plasma biomarkers for TSU-68 in a previous phase II trial comparing TSU-68 plus docetaxel and docetaxel alone in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
A total of 77 patients were eligible for this study (38 in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel arm and 39 in the docetaxel alone arm). Blood samples were collected prior to the start of each cycle, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, -AB, -BB, fibroblast growth factor, M30, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).
In patients with baseline PDGF-AA ≥ median, median PFS was significantly worse in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group than in the docetaxel alone group (5.4 months vs. 13.7 months, p=0.049), while a trend toward a PFS benefit was observed in those with baseline PDGF-AA < median (9.7 months vs. 4.0 months, p=0.18; p for interaction=0.03). In the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group, PFS showed significant association with fold changes in CRP (p=0.001), IL-6 (p < .001), PDGF-BB (p=0.02), and VEGF (p=0.047) following the first treatment cycle.
Baseline PDGF-AA levels and dynamics of VEGF, PDGF-BB, CRP, and IL-6 levels were predictive for the efficacy of TSU-68.
Key words: TSU-68, Breast neoplasms, Angiogenesis, Biological markers, Pharmacology
Angiogenesis is a fundamental event in breast cancer growth and metastasis [1], and therefore has been a major target in development of new agents for breast cancer. A number of types of antiangiogenic agents have been investigated in phase III trials in patients with advanced breast cancer [2]. Of these, oral small-molecule multikinase agents, which inhibit diverse angiogenesis targets, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), have been widely investigated, although their role in management of breast cancer has yet to be established.
TSU-68 (orantinib), a novel oral antiangiogenic multikinase agent, selectively inhibits VEGFR-2, PDGFR, and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) [3]. Based on promising results from multiple single-arm phase II trials of TSU-68 in patients with breast cancer [4,5], we previously conducted a randomized phase II trial comparing the combination of TSU-68 and docetaxel with docetaxel monotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer in whom anthracycline therapy had failed [6].
In the era of targeted therapy, the role of biomarkers has become increasingly important for selection of patients who will benefit most, as the magnitude of benefit from each agent varies among patients. A number of antiangiogenic agents have been approved for management of various types of cancers, although the role of biomarkers remains to be clearly demonstrated for these agents. However, previous studies have suggested the potential value of soluble plasma proteins as pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarkers for antiangiogenic agents [7]. Based on these findings, an exploratory translational study was incorporated into a randomized phase II trial of TSU-68. Candidate markers related to angiogenesis, apoptosis, and inflammation were analyzed for the pharmacodynamics of TSU-68 and prediction of clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients treated with TSU-68–containing chemotherapy. Here, we report on the results of this biomarker analysis of TSU-68 in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
1. Patients, treatment, and outcome
This study was an exploratory analysis of a multicenter randomized phase II trial comparing TSU-68 plus docetaxel with docetaxel alone in patients with metastatic breast cancer who had previously received therapy with an anthracycline-containing regimen. Eligible patients were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either docetaxel 60 mg/m2 on day 1 plus TSU-68 400 mg/m2 on days 1-21 every 3 weeks or docetaxel 60 mg/m2 alone on day 1 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) by independent review. The details of this study have been published elsewhere [6].
In brief, between November 2006 and December 2007, 77 patients were eligible for analysis (38 for TSU-68 plus docetaxel and 39 for docetaxel alone). The median PFS was 6.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.4 to 12.5 months) in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group and 8.1 months (95% CI, 4.0 to 13.7 months) in the docetaxel-alone group (hazard ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.8; p=0.95). No significant differences in the overall response rates and overall survival were observed between groups (p=0.29 and p=0.42, respectively). In subgroup analyses for prespecified patient groups (anthracycline sensitive/resistant, prior taxanes/non-prior taxanes, estrogen receptor positive/negative, progesterone receptor positive/negative, HER2 positive/negative, triple negative), no differences in PFS was observed across all subgroups between arms. This study was approved by the institutional review boards of each participating institution and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. All participants provided written informed consent before enrollment.
2. Plasma collection and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assays
Blood samples were collected at baseline and prior to the start of each cycle for evaluation of potential TSU-68 biomarkers. Plasma levels of angiogenesis-related factors (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF]-AA, PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, and fibroblast growth factor [FGF]), apoptosis markers (caspase-cleaved fragment of cytokeratin 18 [M30]), and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP] and interleukin [IL]-6) were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the manufacturer's instructions (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN).
The pharmacodynamics of TSU-68 was assessed by estimation of fold changes in plasma biomarker concentration from baseline to each cycle of the study treatment and their maximal changes during the entire study course. For correlative analysis of candidate plasma biomarkers, baseline plasma concentration and fold changes from baseline to the end of the first cycle of the study treatment were dichotomized according to the median values. In the patient subgroup categorized by baseline biomarker levels, PFSs were compared between the two arms to evaluate the impact of baseline biomarker levels on the benefit of TSU-68. Analysis of fold changes in plasma biomarker concentrations from baseline across study treatment cycles was performed to determine the relationship with PFS in each treatment arm.
3. Statistical analysis
The chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to determine the association between categorical variables, as appropriate. Log-transformation of the plasma biomarker concentration was performed for comparison. Comparisons of the means of biomarker-related variables between treatment groups and within groups were performed using the Student's t test and Wilcoxon rank sum tests, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for estimation of the probability of survival, with comparison using a log-rank test. PFS was defined as the time between randomization and disease progression or death from any cause, whichever occurred first. Correlation analyses in terms of PFS were performed using baseline biomarker levels, and fold changes after the first cycle of study treatment. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).
1. Baseline plasma biomarker levels
Blood samples at baseline were available for all patients included in the phase II trial (38 for TSU-68 plus docetaxel and 39 for docetaxel alone). There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups (Table 1). The baseline levels of plasma biomarkers in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel and docetaxel-alone groups are summarized in Table 2. There were no significant differences in the baseline plasma concentrations of biomarkers between the two treatment arms (Table 2, Fig. 1).
2. Plasma biomarker dynamics with study treatment
Maximal changes from baseline values were calculated for each biomarker using all evaluated values during serial measurements. Estimation and comparison of the ratios of the geometric mean of maximal biomarker changes in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group to those in the docetaxel-alone group was performed to assess the magnitude of maximal changes in biomarkers according to the treatment arm (Fig. 2). However, no significant differences in the maximal changes in plasma levels of all evaluated biomarkers were observed between the two arms: CRP (ratio, 1,45; p=0.52), FGF (0.97; p=0.89), IL-6 (0.88; p=0.80), M30 (0.80; p=0.34), PDGF-AA (1.18; p=0.08), PDGF-AB (1.06; p=0.68), PDGF-BB (0.73; p=0.11), and VEGF (0.87; p=0.34).
The fold changes after the first cycle of study treatment for each biomarker are summarized in Table 2. In the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group, the levels of CRP (median fold change, 1.5; p=0.002), PDGF-AA (1.3; p < 0.001), PDGF-AB (1.1; p=0.003), and VEGF (1.1; p=0.001) were significantly increased at the end of the first cycle compared to those at baseline. In the docetaxel-alone group, there was a significant increase only in VEGF level (1.2; p=0.002).
3. Baseline plasma biomarkers as a predictive factor
In each subgroup categorized by the baseline biomarker levels (< median vs. ≥ median), PFS was compared between the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group and the docetaxel-alone group. In patients with low baseline PDGF-AA levels, patients treated with TSU-68 plus docetaxel had significantly worse median PFS than those treated with docetaxel alone (5.4 months [95% CI, 2.1 to 8.6 months] vs. 13.7 months [95% CI, 5.5 to 21.9 months]; p=0.049), whereas a trend toward a benefit on PFS was observed in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group compared with the docetaxel-alone group in patients with high baseline PDGF-AA levels (9.7 months [95% CI, 4.2 to 15.2 months] vs. 4.0 months [95% CI, 0.0 to 8.3 months]; p=0.18) (Fig. 3). There was a significant interaction between the PFS benefit of TSU-68 and baseline PDGF-AA levels (p=0.03). Otherwise, no difference in PFS was observed between the two arms for all other comparisons in subgroups categorized by the baseline levels of all other candidate biomarkers (p > 0.1).
4. Correlation between biomarker dynamics and PFS
The association between the dynamics of plasma biomarkers and PFS was assessed in each treatment arm. For each biomarker, patients were grouped based on the median fold change from baseline to the end of the first cycle of the study treatment (< median vs. ≥ median). In patients treated with the combination of TSU-68 and docetaxel, PFS showed significant association with fold changes in CRP (p=0.001), IL-6 (p < 0.001), PDGF-BB (p=0.02), and VEGF (p=0.047) following the first treatment cycle (Fig. 4). For all of these four biomarkers, patients with high fold changes had a better median PFS than those with low fold changes: CRP (15.8 months [95% CI, 8.4 to 23.2 months] vs. 5.4 months [95% CI, 1.1 to 9.6 months]), IL-6 (18.9 months [95% CI, 2.3 to 35.6 months] vs. 4.8 months [95% CI, 1.5 to 8.1 months]), PDGF-BB (12.5 months [95% CI, 6.0 to 19.0 months] vs. 5.4 months [95% CI, 3.7 to 7.1 months]), and VEGF (15.8 months [95% CI, 3.2 to 28.4 months] vs. 5.4 months [95% CI, 3.8 to 6.9 months]). In patients included in the docetaxel-alone arm, however, PFS was not related to the dynamics of all tested biomarkers after the first cycle: CRP (p=0.41), FGF (p=0.99), IL-6 (p=0.16), M30 (p=0.30), PDGF-AA (p=0.73), PDGF-AB (p=0.95), PDGF-BB (p=0.36), and VEGF (p=0.80).
In our current study, we found that the activity of TSU-68, which inhibits VEGFR-2, PDGFR, and FGFR, might be affected by baseline plasma PDGF-AA levels. The dynamics of circulating soluble proteins that reflect angiogenesis and tumor microenvironmental status showed correlation with PFS in patients treated with TSU-68, but not in those who received cytotoxic chemotherapy alone. Our findings have implications for the clinical development of TSU-68 and the identification of potential biomarkers for TSU-68.
The combination of TSU-68 and docetaxel induced significant increases in the levels of CRP, PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB, and VEGF at the end of the first cycle compared to those at baseline, while VEGF was the only marker showing a significant increase with docetaxel. However, in comparison of the maximal magnitude of changes in biomarkers during the serial measurements, no significant difference in any biomarker was observed between the two groups. Previous studies have reported conflicting results regarding the pharmacodynamic effects of TSU-68 [4,5,8]. In several studies, no significant changes in angiogenesis-related plasma proteins were observed after treatment with TSU-68 [4,5]. Although a previous pharmacodynamic analysis of colorectal cancer patients treated with TSU-68 in combination with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin reported a significant decrease in the PDGF series (PDGF-AA, AB, and BB) [8], it is unlikely that this result reflects the pharmacodynamic features of TSU-68 itself. Although it is possible that docetaxel confounded the effect of TSU-68 in our study, due to the randomized design of this trial, we were able to evaluate the pharmacodynamic impact of the addition of TSU-68 to docetaxel monotherapy. The limited impact of TSU-68 on pharmacodynamic markers in many trials, including ours, suggests that the current dose and schedule for TSU-68 may not be optimal to induce significant target inhibition and clinical efficacy.
In our primary analysis of this randomized phase II trial, TSU-68 plus docetaxel did not demonstrate superiority to docetaxel alone in terms of PFS [6]. In addition, when patients were categorized by clinical factors, including hormone receptors, HER-2 overexpression, and resistance to previous therapy, there was no subgroup benefit from combination therapy.
In our subanalysis of biomarker for TSU-68, we found that the efficacy of TSU-68 may depend on the pretreatment plasma concentration of PDGF-AA. The addition of TSU-68 appears to be associated with improved PFS in patients with low baseline PDGF-AA levels. However, a detrimental effect of TSU-68 was observed in patients with high baseline PDGF-AA levels, which contrasts with the expectation that PDGFR inhibition by TSU-68 may be more effective in patients with PDGF overexpression. This finding seems to be in line with the results of a previous randomized phase II study that compared TSU-68 with observation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma [9]. Although the result was not statistically significant, patients who received TSU-68 had a numerically longer PFS than those included in the observation arm in the subgroup with low baseline PDGF-AA levels, whereas this trend was reversed in patients with high baseline PDGF-AA levels.
Until recently, investigation of the predictive role of circulating dimeric PDGF isoforms for antiangiogenic agents has been limited. Dimeric PDGF isoforms primarily induce paracrine stimulation of stromal fibroblasts and perivascular cells and also activate autocrine signaling for the proliferation of tumors [10]. However, the mechanism of the interaction between PDGF-AA and TSU-68 efficacy is unclear and will have to be defined in future studies. In many clinical trials for unselected patients with various types of cancer, TSU-68 has not demonstrated a significant improvement in clinical outcomes [6,9,11]. Although the implication of PDGF-AA as a predictive factor for TSU-68 should be validated in a large patient population, our results indicate that further investigations of TSU-68 for patients with relatively low expression of PDGF-AA will be necessary.
Monitoring of the dynamics of circulating protein biomarkers may provide the opportunity to predict clinical outcomes as well as achieve a better understanding of the mechanism of action of investigational drugs. In our current study, the dynamics of CRP, IL-6, PDGF-BB, and VEGF levels showed significant association with PFS in patients treated with TSU-68 plus docetaxel. This result confirms that the activity of TSU-68 is driven by the inhibition of angiogenesis and by its impact on the tumor microenvironment. The relationship between the dynamics of plasma biomarkers and PFS was not seen in patients who received docetaxel monotherapy, thus the significance of our finding appears quite robust. A greater increase above the median in plasma VEGF (a median fold increase of 1.1) and PDGF-BB (1.1) following TSU-68 plus docetaxel was associated with better PFS. Given that inhibition of VEGFR and PDGFR results in a reactive increase in plasma VEGF and PDGF-BB [4,12], this result may indicate that stronger VEGFR and PDGFR inhibition leads to a better PFS with TSU-68 treatment.
IL-6 is a proinflammatory marker and CRP is a well-known indicator of inflammatory status [13,14]. Patients with fold changes above the median in CRP (the median of 1.5) and IL-6 (0.7) after treatment with TSU-68 had improved clinical outcomes in terms of PFS compared with those who showed less increased or decreased CRP and greater decrease of IL-6, respectively. Increases in these inflammatory markers can be regarded as a consequence of therapy-induced inflammation [13]. Death of cancer cells from anticancer treatment induces the release of necrotic products, leading to stimulation of cytokine-producing inflammatory cells. Currently, it is unclear whether therapy-induced inflammation is beneficial or harmful in cancer treatment [13]. The inflammation may stimulate residual cancer cells and help in regrowth via the activation of prosurvival genes; however, inflammation may also lead to activation of adaptive anti-tumor immune responses due to the increased presentation of tumor antigens. Further investigations will be needed in order to elucidate the effects of the dynamics of these biomarkers, which reflect the status of the tumor microenvironment, on the efficacy of antiangiogenic agents.
There are several limitations to our current study. Although the randomized design of this trial enabled comparisons of the impact of candidate biomarkers for TSU-68, our analysis was based on a small number of patients, limiting the ability of the multivariate analysis to adjust for potential confounding effects.
Results of our current exploratory analysis suggested that the baseline plasma concentration of PDGF-AA might be predictive of the efficacy of antiangiogenic agents, including TSU-68. As the addition of TSU-68 was detrimental in patients with high baseline PDGF-AA levels, this association should be validated in future studies and considered in the design of trials for the clinical development of TSU-68. A significant relationship between PFS with TSU-68 treatment and the dynamics of VEGF, PDGF-BB, CRP, and IL-6 confirmed that the efficacy of TSU-68 is due in part to the inhibition of angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis as well as the inflammatory reaction, and also suggested that interim monitoring of these markers may be useful for prediction of outcomes.
This study was supported by Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Baseline levels of candidate plasma biomarkers between treatment arms. CRP, C-reactive protein; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; IL, interleukin; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; DTX, docetaxel.
Maximal fold changes in candidate plasma biomarkers during the entire study course between treatment arms. Ratio=(Geometric mean of maximal fold changes in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group)/(Geometric mean of maximal fold changes in the docetaxel-alone group). CRP, C-reactive protein; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; IL, interleukin; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; DTX, docetaxel.
Progression-free survival according to the baseline plasma platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA) levels. DTX, docetaxel.
(A-D) Association between progression-free survival and changes in plasma biomarkers from baseline to the end of the first cycle of the study treatment in the TSU-68 plus docetaxel group. CRP, C-reactive protein; IL, interleukin; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.
TSU-68+docetaxel (n=38)
Docetaxel (n=39)
Age, median(range, yr) 52 (25-68) 50 (30-73) 0.57
ECOG performance status
0 21 (55) 19 (49) 0.65
1-2 17 (45) 20 (51)
Menopausal status
Premenopausal 11 (29) 16 (41) 0.34
Postmenopausal 27 (71) 23 (59)
Anthracycline sensitivity
Resistant 13 (34) 12 (31) 0.81
Sensitive 25 (66) 27 (69)
HER2 status (IHC or FISH) 33 39 0.74
Positive 6 (16) 5 (13)
Negative 27 (71) 34 (87)
Estrogen receptor status 37 39 0.11
Positive 26 (70) 20 (51)
Progesterone receptor status 37 39 0.49
Previous therapy
Surgery 34 (90) 38 (97) 0.20
Hormonal therapy 25 (66) 23 (59) 0.64
Radiotherapy 21 (55) 26 (67) 0.35
Anthracycline 38 (100) 39 (100) > 0.99
Taxanes 8 (21) 8 (21) > 0.99
Values are presented as number (%). ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; IHC, immunohistochemistry; FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Levels of biomarkers at baseline and their fold changes after cycle 1 of study treatment
Baseline level
Fold change after cycle 1
Docetaxel, mean±SD
TSU-68+docetaxel, mean±SD
Docetaxel, median (IQR)
p-valuea)
TSU-68+docetaxel, median (IQR)
CRP (mg/dL) 1.36±2.59 1.09±2.32 0.29 1.2 (0.3-4.9) 0.1 1.5 (0.7-6.8) 0.002
FGF (pg/mL) 6.53±3.97 6.53±3.99 0.95 1.0 (0.9-1.3) 0.33 1.0 (0.9-1.3) 0.52
IL-6 (pg/mL) 7.82±13.72 3.63±4.29 0.30 0.6 (0.3-1.2) 0.23 0.7 (0.3-1.5) 0.52
M30 (U/L) 366.89±614.59 486.49±1,366.17 0.88 0.9 (0.7-1.2) 0.22 0.9 (0.5-1.1) 0.09
PDGF-AA (pg/mL) 3,287.00±1,327.31 3,577.89±1,574.69 0.43 1.1 (0.9-1.3) 0.09 1.3 (1.0-1.4) < 0.001
PDGF-AB (pg/mL) 24,534.03±10,548.00 25,764.36±9,447.64 0.49 1.0 (0.9-1.2) 0.99 1.1 (0.9-1.4) 0.003
PDGF-BB (pg/mL) 2,799.00±1,463.33 2,567.10±1,640.16 0.31 1.0 (0.8-1.3) 0.84 1.1 (0.8-1.3) 0.28
VEGF (pg/mL) 435.86±361.51 388.27±238.25 0.81 1.2 (0.9-1.4) 0.002 1.1 (1.0-1.5) 0.001
SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range; CRP, C-reactive protein; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; IL, interleukin; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.
a) Difference between the levels at baseline and after cycle 1 within the study group.
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Mile Janakieski's lawyer in TNT, Elenko Milanov, in an interview with "REPUBLIKA"
To solve the mess over "TNT", only Dzolev and the Judicial Council need to act lawfully
As a seemingly ordinary case, from those of SPO beginning with T, it has become a judicial priority to speak to the lawyer of one of the defendants in the case, former Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski, Elenko Milanov.
The TNT case was announced in April 2016, which involves abuse of power and authority. According to the indictment, former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski have asked Gazi Baba Mayor Toni Trajkovski to illegally demolish Fiat Canoski's Cosmos building. A construction inspector from the municipality of Gazi Baba is also charged in the case.
Just before New Year's Eve, Milanov announced that after the holidays he would file criminal charges of abuse of power and false representation. Meanwhile, juror Kockovska, who in addition to TNT, is also a juror in few more SPO's cases, resigned, but her resignation was not accepted; The Criminal Court entered into correspondence with the defense, in which it generally blamed the defenders in the TNT case on multiple grounds; a reassigned judge in another department will stay on SPO cases so they are not returned back to the beginning (Judge Zeneta Begtovic, who is judging in two SPO cases, "Target-Fortress" and "Treasure", has been reassigned from organized to criminal adult), and President Dzolev says Judge Begtovic will complete these cases, avoiding the possibility that the trials will be returned back to the beginning, and earlier the "Torture" trial was returned back to the beginning because a lay judge resigned. .. What is happening in the Criminal Court?
What steps does the defense take, did you file criminal charges and who will be covered in the motion?
Milanov: The Criminal Court in its latest statement of 10 January 2020 on the different treatment of two jurors in two separate cases essentially acknowledged that the defense was right in its request that the juror Liljana Kockovska could not proceed in any court proceedings due to the expiry of her term of four years. We believe that if juror Ljiljana Kockovska attends the hearing on January 13, the legal assumptions will be fulfilled to be considered a criminal offense, which will see possible actions taken by filing criminal charges. As to against whom and when any harges will be filed, it will probably be decided by January 13.
Such developments have already been reported to several justice institutions and representatives of the international community, pointing out that they have acted in violation of the law by insisting on a lay judge whose term of office has expired to continue working in the case.
Kiro Zdravev, President of the Judicial Council
What is the role of the Judicial Council in this mess? What is the procedure to be followed by the Judicial Council to determine the expiry of the juror's term? What after the verdict was rendered by a trial chamber with no decision-making mandate?
Milanov: Reaching a verdict by a trial chamber which is improperly composed with the participation of a lay judge who has no term, and thus the capacity of a lay judge is a substantial violation of Art. 415 p.1 t. 1 of the LCP, which in turn constitutes an absolute ground for revoking the verdict by the higher judicial instances upon appeals. Thus, instead of the efficiency of the procedure, the opposite effect of delaying the procedure is caused precisely because of the improper conduct of the court. In line with such an allegation, there are several court decisions brought by the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
I believe that in this particular case the President of the Skopje Basic Criminal Court is the first link who can clear this mess by informing the trial chamber that the juror's term has expired as it did with the trial chamber dealing with the case on the accident that took place near the village of Lascarci with the appointment of a new lay judge to work in the TNT case.
The Judicial Council is the second link that can and must clear this mess because it elects and DISMISSES judges and lay judges by making formal written decisions. But here I must point out that in this case with the expiry of the term of office, ie the termination of the term of a lay judge, the Judicial Council does not make any formal legal decision since the expiry of the term is a fact of time passed in which an elected official can perform the function. Even if it conforms the fact of the expiry of the term, the Judicial Council does not make any formal or written decision on it, and the conclusion must be that the term ended with the expiry of the term of office, and in this case it is until 24.12.2019. According to the Law on Courts and the Law on the Judicial Council there is no specific procedure for confirming the expiry of term of office, but there are only DISMISSAL procedures when the legal assumptions of the Law on Courts are fulfilled. Contrary to anyone being elected a lay judge, there is a procedure in which a written decision is made about the election and the beginning of the office by specifying the persons to whom that election applies, which is also published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia.
I believe that the trial chamber in this case is the one to inform the President of the Court that a jury with expired term cannot act in any court case as the only legally-based resolution of the particular situation.
The president's request for extension of the term of juror Liljana Kockovska has no legal basis. First of all, this juror is over 60 years old, which can neither compete nor be selected as a lay judge. Second, no law recognizes the extension of a lay judge's term but merely the election of a statutory prescribed term of validity or dismissal by complying with specifically prescribed legal requirements. Third, the election of a lay judge is followed by a call and procedure that ends with an election decision, not at the request of a court president or any other person from the judicial or state institutions.
Ivan Dzolev, President of the Basic Criminal Court – Skopje
Why is the TNT case profiled as a priority despite other dozens of SPO cases, Monster, for example?
Milanov: Regarding your question why precisely the TNT case was chosen as a priority, you really should look the answer at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje. This case is in no way more important or less important than any other case that has the problem of having the same lay judge in the case. Is it possible to find a reason for the fact that there was a criminal case for the illegal construction of the "Kosmos" building before the same court, which after the filed and approved indictment by the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office Skopje at the stage of the main hearing being scheduled was taken over by the SPO with a written notice about taking over the case and in few days without insight into the case files or a main hearing a withdrawal of the SPO indictment was submitted, a situation that is beyond any court practice or legal basis, I could not know or claim. However, it is a judicial precedent that I have not met in my practice of more than 30 years in criminal cases.
On the other hand, it may be symptomatic that the defendant in the case Ardijan Amzovski is a signatory to a Contract for the construction of retirement homes with the International Association, whose President is Bojan Jovanovski – Boki 13 charged in the cases known as "Racket" by paying more than 200,000 euros, so the priority is to complete the TNT case before testimonies of defendants in the "Racket" case can only be the subject of speculation for which you should still seek answers at the Skopje Basic Criminal Court.
I really would not like to believe as a legalist that all this may be of any political interest in insisting on completing the TNT case in the hope that the judiciary in our country has not fallen so low.
Will the procedure really be effective if hearings are held daily in two weeks? What is an efficient procedure?
Milanov: Regarding the question of whether the procedure will really be effective if hearings are held daily in two weeks, I personally cannot really see the effectiveness they insist on. This is a procedure that has a great deal of evidence, a large number of witnesses that require preparation by the prosecution, the defendants and the defense as well as by the trial chamber itself.
Especially given that there are more than 30 court decisions of the regular courts in all judicial instances or administrative courts in all administrative-judicial instances as well as decisions of first and second instance administrative authorities that have completed establishing the facts that the "Kosmos" building was built outside the approved project and the issued building permit.
In such conditions of overwhelming evidence, we find that there can be no efficient procedure by holding daily main hearings by clearing out all legally relevant facts to reach a proper and law-based judgment. All the tension over the proceedings, in my personal conviction, can only lead to insufficient clearance of all legally relevant facts to reach a fair judgement based on the true content of the evidence presented.
An efficient procedure is a procedure in which all parties in the proceedings will have sufficient time and space to present all their arguments by presenting evidence in support of their allegations by presenting all legally relevant facts to the trial chamber in order to be able make a proper and lawful decision which, because of its regularity, may be upheld by the higher judicial instances on the occasion of the parties' appeals. Any pressure action at the time when a judgment will be rendered without clearing all the facts relevant to such a decision, which in many cases lead to retrial because of unclear circumstances, means only delaying the procedure, not an efficient procedure.
Can we talk about an efficient procedure when due to omissions now the "Monster" case returned to trial, which due to violations in a hasty procedure is now canceled and returned to trial again, can we talk about an efficient procedure in the "Titanic 2" case, which is now canceled and returned to trial again.
Finally, can we talk about an efficient TNT case if the legal presumption is that the case due to an improperly composed trial chamber with a lay judge with expired term at the time of making the court decision and therefore should be returned to retrial.
Again, I do not want to believe that all this may be matter to any interference of personal or political interests at the expense of the judicial system as a third authority necessary for the survival of a state and its statehood.
By: Katerina Mitik
interviewElenko Milanovtnt
In the mad rush to approve a 40 million EUR payment, the Skopje court exerts unprecedented pressure on the doctor of a defendant

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CHELSEA midfielder Jorginho is key to the result when Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge later today.
That is the opinion of ESPN FC pundit and former Chelsea star Craig Burley.
Jorginho joined the Blues in the summer for a fee of around £57million.
The Italy international followed manager Maurizio Sarri from Napoli and has had an impressive start to life in west London.
Jorginho broke the Premier League record for most passes in a game since records began with 180 in the 0-0 draw against West Ham last Sunday.
He was left out of the Chelsea side that beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Burley is expecting Liverpool's pressing game to be back to it's best at Stamford Bridge.
And the former Scotland international says how Jurgen Klopp's side cope with Jorginho will be key.
"They (Chelsea) made a few mistakes at the back again, it will be different personnel (on Saturday)," Burley said.
"But they made some mistakes again, the one mistake that (Daniel) Sturridge almost scored.
"But, in terms of the intensity of the Liverpool pressing game and how dynamic they've been, that's going to go up several notches at the weekend.
"We know what Chelsea are going to do, they're going to bring Jorginho back in as one of the main key players in front of the back four.
"They're going to look to pass everything through him.
Liverpool go into the match top of the Premier League table with six wins from six so far this term.
Chelsea are third having dropped points for the first time under Sarri against West Ham.


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Watch NTV Houston 55.3 online
Watch NTV Houston 55.3 live from United States
Public on November 3, 2015, and last updated 6 months ago.
Nacion TV Internacional offers social, family, entertainment, children's, youth, musical programming, but above all the word of God. Our purpose is a better society and that the whole world knows the gospel of Jesus Christ.
CW39 Houston
NTV National
NTV Spor HD
NacionTV Network is the first high powered Spanish speaking Christian channel in Houston Texas.
Nacion TV Internacional can help churches reach people in their community. In Houston and its surroundings, we transmit through 55.3 KTBU and in all America satellite Galaxy 19 Trasponder 27. Nation TV now transmitting to 32 countries through satellite and cable. On digital television in Houston TX, Beaumont TX, Lakes Charles, Orlando FL, Daytona Beach FL, Kissime FL. and many more cities. We have local, national, and international programming. We offer programs for children, youth, education for adults in general that promote moral, social, and cultural values. Nacion TV has the goal of spreading the gospel throughout the nations, with the help of the Holy Spirit of God.
We are a Television Network that can offer your ministry an inexpensive way to express the message of Jesus in a unique way. Remember that Houston is a multicultural city that can benefit from its programming. The purpose of our ministry is to keep the programming cost as economical as possible for Pastors. Nacion TV has the goal of spreading the gospel throughout the nations, with the help of the Holy Spirit of God. We invite you to be part of this project, along with all the churches in Houston and all the nations of the world.
3ABN Proclaim!


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Les ortotricàcies (Orthotrichaceae) és l'única família de molses dins l'ordre Orthotrichales. Moltes espècies d'aquesta família són epífites.

Gèneres
 Cardotiella
 Ceuthotheca
 Codonoblepharon
 Desmotheca
 Florschuetziella
 Groutiella
 Leiomitrium
 Leptodontiopsis
 Leratia
 Macrocoma
 Macromitrium
 Matteria
 Orthotrichum
 Pentastichella
 Pleurorthotrichum
 Schlotheimia
 Sehnemobryum
 Stoneobryum
 Ulota
 Zygodon

Referències

Briòpsides

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Anthony Joshua Retains His Heavyweight Belts with Ninth-Round Knockout of Kubrat Pulev
Posted by Vincent Henderson on December 19, 2020
Anthony Joshua defeated Kubrat Pulev via knockout to retain his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles. He improved to 24-1 in his career with 22 knockouts.
Joshua was supposed to beat Andy Ruiz Jr. in his US debut at Madison Square Garden in New York but he was dropped four times in a tough TKO loss in the seventh round on June 1, 2019. He recaptured his world titles in the rematch against Ruiz when he coasted to a decision win in Saudi Arabia on December 7, 2019.
The fight with Pulev was Joshua's first in the COVID-19 pandemic and his first title defense during his current WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight championship reign.
Born: October 15th, 1989
Division: Heavyweight
Reach: 82″
Bouts: 25
Rounds: 112
Record: 24-1 (22 KOs)
91.6 KO percentage
Joshua prevailed against Pulev after flooring him three times and knocking him out in the ninth round to edge closer to a fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to crown the division's No 1.
Tyson Fury's promoter Bob Arum called the potential dream fight against Anthony Joshua the "biggest since Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier in 1971."
Fury had this to say about Anthony Joshua's victory on Saturday: "I want the fight. I want the fight next. I will knock him out inside three rounds!"
Tyson Fury also criticized Joshua's post-fight interview on social media, saying: "He got asked if he wants the fight and he went around the bushes."
Giannis Antetokounmpo Signs Five-Year, $228 Million Supermax Extension with the Bucks
Celtic to salvage season with continued Scottish Cup 2020


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Research: 88 Percent Of American Web Users Unable To Spot Phishing Sites
Respondents were asked to identify which of two Web site images presented side by side was a fraudulent phishing site, VeriSign explains
BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 15, 2009) - Internet Retailer Conference & Expo, Booth #1043 - A YouGov survey* commissioned by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) has revealed that 88 percent of Web users in the United States are at risk from online fraud because they can't identify the different forms of phishing currently happening online.
The research asked each respondent to identify which of two Web site images presented side by side was a fraudulent phishing site. The most frequently missed "tell tale" indicator was the misspelling on the site, with 88 percent failing to spot the spelling mistakes that would have identified the phishing site. The other such tell tale indicators respondents failed to spot include:
-- No padlock symbol in the browser address bar -- 68 percent duped -- URL containing unspecified, numerical, domain name -- 42 percent duped -- Unnecessary request for additional account information -- 33 percent duped
"In today's economic environment, businesses have a hard enough time competing without having to battle fraudulent, look-alike phishing sites," said Craig Spiezle, executive director of the Online Trust Alliance. "Just one phishing attack can dramatically diminish the relationship an online business has built with its customers. For these businesses, the stakes are enormous."
Phishing scams and online fraud have created doubt and concern among online shoppers. To regain their trust, site owners need an easy, reliable way to show customers that their transactions are secure -- and that they are who they say they are. Security vendors and Internet browsers have combined forces to establish the Extended Validation (EV) standard for SSL Certificates. With this technology, the browser and certificate authority control the display, making it difficult for phishers and counterfeiters to hijack a brand and its customers.
"With nine out of 10 people in the U.S. vulnerable to phishing scams, a method for easily identifying a genuine site from a phishing site is a must for all businesses online," said Tim Callan, vice president of product marketing at VeriSign. "By adopting Extended Validation, a site owner makes it easy for Web users to see that the site they are on is genuine. When a Web user visits a site secured in this way, a high-security browser will trigger the address bar to turn green. For additional clarity, the name of the organization listed in the certificate as well as the certificate's security vendor is also displayed."
"We were blown away by the impact our EV SSL Certificate had on our company; an 87 percent higher registration rate is tremendous," said Darren Shafae, founder and vice president of Paper-Check.com. "It's one thing to encrypt transmissions online, but quite another thing to assure customers that the recipient is the intended party and not an impostor. And that's just what the EV SSL green address bar signifies."
Phishing, a nationwide issue
Of the seven countries included in the research -- the United States, Germany, Sweden, Australia, India, Denmark and the United Kingdom -- the United States is the least likely to identify the tell tale signs of a phishing site that were tested for in the survey. In addition, the United States is the only country where the youngest section of the population, those between 18 and 24, is the least likely age group to identify a phishing site.
Knowledge is key to fighting phishing. To this end, VeriSign has compiled its Top five tips to distinguish a real site from a phishing site.
Consumers should check whether or not a site is genuine and whether it is taking measures to protect their personal details by looking for the following:
RiskCompliance
Here Are 4 Tips You Need for Processing Real-Time Data
Secure Cross-Entity Collaboration


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Q: JTS Polygon simplification without holes I have a set of polygons without holes. I wish to merge any intersecting polygons. I don't want to have any holes in my simplified polygons. Is there a recommended way to achieve this using JTS?
The (naive) algorithm I am using now is:
private List<com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Polygon> simplify(List<com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Polygon> polygons) {
boolean done;
do {
done = true;
for (int i = 0; i < polygons.size(); i++) {
    Polygon a = polygons.get(i);
    if (0 != a.getNumInteriorRing()) {
        throw new RuntimeException();
    }
    for (int j = i + 1; j < polygons.size();) {
        final Polygon b = polygons.get(j);
        if (a.intersects(b)) {
            polygons.set(i, (Polygon) a.union(b));
            a = polygons.get(i);
            polygons.remove(j);
            done = false;
        }
        else {
            j++;
        }
    }
}
} while (!done);
return polygons;
}

A: Get your all intersecting polygons into a geometry collection (ArrayList) and use JTS UnaryUnion method to merge all polygons at one go. Then convert your geometry into JTS Polygon and use its getExteriorRing() method to remove holes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A fresh and lively MCC filled with flavours of strawberries, rose petals and candyfloss. The palate is clean and refreshing with great balance and zesty minerality.A great sparkling wine for those special friends and moments in life. Memories in a bottle. Apply within.
Made in the traditional way, this wine was blended only using the cuvee (first pressing). A blend of Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir was used to emphasize the fruit on this Brut Rose. After bottling, the wine spent 10 months on the lees to develop the delicate brioche flavours that these wines are known for. Disgorgement took place in August 2012 and the wine will develop further richness on the cork.


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Meed Barnett's diminutive stature is very deceptive. This recent addition to Almonte's art scene lives up to her favourite descriptor of herself and her art — feral. She is fierce and refuses to be domesticated in any of the conventional senses of the word. As an artist she refuses to be confined to any one style, medium or philosophy. Our interview begins with her declaration that she would just as soon be referred to as "they", but will let me use "she" if I prefer. As a creature of long habit it is easier for me to refer to an individual with a singular pronoun, even though Meed is anything but single. She is happily married to Bob Barnett for 40 years, and they have a grown child working in high tech in Los Angeles of whom they are very proud.
Meed was born in Greenwich Village and was a "Roaring Beatnik" throughout her high school years. Her personal history is a striking example of a timeworn adage: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Before my attempt to condense her convoluted story onto one page, however, I want to commend and recommend her art. Barnett loves nature and she loves to create narrative art — art that tells a story. Many of her works in watercolour or coloured pencil evoke memories of her time spent growing up in Woodstock, NY, and her love of the Catskill Mountains. The area is an early and influential hotbed of arts, crafts and music in the eastern U.S.A. Barnett was particularly drawn to the Hudson River School of art. Her paintings reflect its influence, especially in her loving renditions of time spent roaming in the area of the Kaaterskill Clove, a distinctive feature or "cleft" in the mountains attracting tourists to this day. In addition to her celebrations of nature, another favourite subject is things reverting to nature such as ruins of old structures.
I'm pretty sure that the couple's new home in downtown Almonte contains more paintings per square metre of wall space than any other house I have visited. About one third are treasured works by other artists, many to whom she is related. In addition, Meed has two studios: one for painting, and one for creating wearable art in the form of intricately beautiful jewellery she has hand-forged from copper, brass and sterling. The two necklaces she created to celebrate her wedding to Bob are exquisite. They are not for sale, but her treasure trove of necklaces, earrings and even belts could elevate your Christmas shopping to new heights.
Barnett's bio provides an apt condensation of the highly entertaining account she shared with me of her life's eclectic journey thus far. In her own words with a few minor edits: "Fourth-generation artist and craftsperson, I could hold brushes before I could hold a fork. Born in Greenwich Village, New York City, I was taken to Woodstock, NY, at age four, where I grew up surrounded by the art and influence of many fine painters who were working in the area at that time. The end of family life led to my many living arrangements in the Woodstock area, including an Episcopal convent and two European homes.
"My first art instruction came from my grandfather, Rudolf Wetterau, who worked out of New York City as an advertising artist and oil painter. At age 15, I won a summer scholarship to the Woodstock branch of the Art Students League of New York City (now the Woodstock School of Art), and later won all available high school graduation awards for art. I studied art at SUNY New Paltz, and years later at the University of Hawaii. I hand-finished large portrait photography at two Rochester, NY, studios for several years. With this and other jobs, I self-financed a BA (SUNY at Buffalo), and an MA (University of Hawaii).
"I was at times: a camp counselor, a welder, an English tutor, a full-time teacher, a retail administrator, a dishwasher, a portrait studio photofinisher, a dental assistant, a refugee resettlement worker, a singer, an art teacher, and of course an artist and illustrator. While in Honolulu I illustrated teaching materials for the State of Hawaii Public School System. After moving to Philadelphia, PA, I studied with Francis McCarthy at Fleischer Art Memorial.
"Marriage brought a move to southern New Jersey. I conducted a papier-mâché puppet theatre workshop with students at Atlantic County New School in 1990, culminating in a feature-length performance, and taught other art classes at the school. Over the years I have shown in many juried exhibitions, have had many one-person shows, and have won numerous awards, including several best-of-shows. I have judged in several important regional juried shows. For five years, I was the art teacher for grades K–8 at St. Nicholas Catholic School in Egg Harbor City. For eleven years, I maintained studios at the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville, NJ, and in Galloway, NJ."
Barnett credits her father's father with setting her on the path to becoming an artist: "He was the biggest influence in my life." Much of the upheaval in her past, after her mother's disappearance from her life when Meed was only four years old, was the result of friction with the older women in her life. She was not "girly" enough to suit them, not interested in clothes and makeup, and thus "queer" in their eyes. She remains securely non-gender conforming, pleased that her father liked sewing, and comfortable that she loves cooking. She credits summers spent at a YWCA camp as her best experiences growing up. There were also three high school teachers who supported her belief in her own worth and talent. Meed was taught to play chess by Bobby Fischer, whom she remembers with deserved disaffection.
Meed Barnett is an extraordinary and extremely interesting person, an accomplished artist and jeweller, and, luckily for theHumm's readership, happy to invite you into her home by appointment to share her story and her arts. Her coordinates appear on the back of her Artist Trading Card where I photographed her next to her collage painting of her mother.WHO	Meed Barnett
Artist Trading Card


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DEVELOPMENT & SOCIETY
HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
End of Business as We Know It
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY : Energy, Sustainability, Economics, Business
2012•05•04 Brendan F.D. Barrett Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Photo by Allen Sima.
When it comes to creating a sustainable, green economy, failure cannot be an option — not least for future generations. That provocative statement was made in the opening remarks at a recent conference here in Tokyo organized by the European Business Council.
The keynote speaker at the event was Paul Roberts, author of the 2005 book The End of Oil, a tome that was inspirational in the launch of Our World 2.0 together with Richard Heinberg's two ground breaking books The Party's Over and Powerdown.
Roberts went on to write a follow-up best-selling book in 2008, entitled The End of Food, that explores the "stark economic realities beneath modern food". He kicked-off his talk by explaining that his children think he should write books with happier titles and that he might sell more books as a result.
For Roberts, sustainability is all about green jobs, green technology and very importantly "guilt-free" products.
"We want, as businesses, as individuals," he explained, "to feel confident that we can have economic growth, that we can have higher returns on our investments without driving our enterprise, our country, our planet off the cliff."
But it is difficult for many to get behind sustainability when everything seems to be going just fine. The economy is said to be recovering (with the exception of parts of southern Europe), technologies are ever-advancing, we have empowered consumers, we have more access to resources, we feel that history is on our side and that we have been, and always will be, able to overcome obstacles.
"Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution," he continued, "we have gone from success to success." As a result, we expect this to continue.
But the future won't be like the past
We cannot, however, he argued, be complacent and when making forecasts about the future we cannot just use the past as evidence, although in my view it may well be a useful guide. Reflecting on Roberts' words, I am concerned that we seem to conveniently ignore lessons of previous failed civilizations and we are apparently still unable to fully comprehend the consequences of the advancements we make at breakneck speed, while the precautionary principle often falls forgotten under the wheels of progress.
Indeed we should be very worried, Roberts continued, as we struggle to cope with a series of new risks that pose a fantastic challenge for the future of humanity and the planet.
Climate change, he argued, is game changing in every sector. But even if you were to ignore climate change and, for academic purposes, assume it is a hoax, the scale of the other challenges we face today will keep us very busy.
Another issue that should concern us is the price of inputs to our industrial and economic system. Roberts shared data on the price of crude oil over time and showed that we find ourselves in a period of high volatility and high prices. From an historical perspective, he explained, looking back over the past 150 years "we are paying more for our oil now than we were before the oil industry was industrialized". This is in spite of the fact that today's oil industry is super-efficient, has more technology and operates on a huge scale.
Yet, it was during the decades of comparatively low oil prices that it was possible to build our global economy and we did so on the assumption that oil would remain cheap and stable in the foreseeable future. But we now have to come to terms with a new reality of ever increasing oil prices.
"We want, as businesses, as individuals, to feel confident that we can have economic growth, that we can have higher returns on our investments without driving our enterprise, our country, our planet off the cliff," says author Paul Roberts.
Today's high prices are explained by a number of factors. For instance, the number of new oil field discoveries is going down (the peak was in 1960) and the fields we do find today are getting smaller. The oil that remains underground is also much more expensive to extract.
"We are having to drill far deeper," says Roberts. "We are having to work in hostile environments — the Arctic, Siberia — and the costs are significantly higher."
Another issue driving prices is political instability with most oil reserves in some of the least stable countries in the world, mainly in the Middle East. Taking this into consideration, he continued, "you can recognize that we have an economy based on a commodity that is basically held hostage to all these different factors".
Now, under normal market economics, we would expect that as the price for oil increases, people would simply move to alternatives. This would suggest a shift to renewable energy, biofuels, bioplastics, hybrid and electric cars, and so on. While this has happened to a very limited degree, we are so thoroughly invested in the petroleum based economy and its infrastructure, that it is going to take a gigantic effort to make the shift to the alternatives, and the oil prices just never seems high enough to spur this transition. Especially since high oil prices work to push our economy into recession which subsequently results in prices falling as demand slackens. It is a classic Catch 22.
But there are also other risks that we need to consider such as food prices that are intimately connected with oil prices. According to FAO data, we are now in a period of high and volatile food prices. The cost of food is influenced by population growth, changes in earning power and dietary patterns. We are seeing the spread of the Western diet — more dairy and meat, more processed food, more convenience food and more luxury food.
When food prices go up, particularly in developing countries, we see social and political unrest along the lines of the Arab Spring, which in turn leads to higher oil prices because markets are terrified that the unrest could have a direct impact on oil supplies. This is a kind of event chain or problem loop.
So, should we just give up hope?
No, not at all. While the picture is fairly bleak, what we really need to do is move away from the idea that problems can be solved in isolation.
Roberts assures us that "[o]nce we acknowledge complexity, once we acknowledge the existence of these loops (problem>solution>new problem>), a new situation arises and it becomes possible to leverage complexity, and to interrupt this chain of events. But it requires an acute awareness of how that chain operates".
We all know this, he argues. But when it comes to making investments, we don't like to think about this level of complexity. We want a much simpler paradigm. In Roberts' view we really have to embrace complexity moving forward from now on and as we try to tackle these new risks. Businesses have to be constantly adaptive.
He then gave two examples — polyculture farming in Japan and food miles/urban farms in the United States — of how embracing complexity can create new opportunities. Polyculture farming (i.e., using multiple crops in the same space) is an example of how it is possible to work the land more productively and feed a larger number of people. At the same time, the introduction of food miles and urban farming works to increase local food security and resilience while at the same time reducing the carbon footprint of our food. They both provide an opportunity to re-sort our food mix to increase the local component.
He concluded by stating that "The future is complex and you can either fight it, or profit from it".
Not the end of business as usual, but a new beginning
Roberts' presentation was very well received by the audience of international business leaders and members of European Business Council of Japan.
The remainder of the conference was composed of presentations by various businesses — Total Oil, Unilever and Sompo Japan Insurance talked about their corporate social responsibility activities. In addition, there was a fascinating presentation by Senator Taro Kono, member of the Japan House of Representatives with the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, on why Japan should abandon nuclear power and on the future of Japan as a nation. From 1997, he has continually expressed his concerns about Japan's over reliance on the nuclear energy sector and opposes the construction of any new nuclear power plants. He presented a future energy scenario for Japan (based on the work of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies) that would see the country go 100 percent renewable by 2050.
There was also an insightful presentation from Luke Eginton, Managing Director of Vesta Wind Technology, on the myths about wind technology in Japan and how they have worked to hinder the rapid expansion of this power generation technology. These myths are that:
Japan is a mountainous country unsuitable for wind.
Japan's low wind speeds are unsuitable for wind power generation.
Wind is unpredictable and poses a threat to grids.
Japanese wind turbine generator makers understand Japanese wind best.
Increasing renewables will increase electricity prices to unsustainable levels.
Eginton went on to convincingly challenge each of the above assumptions that continue to be believed by many influential people. He argued that the introduction of the new feed in tariff system for Japan on 1 July 2012 could mark the beginning of a new phase of renewables investment.
While Eginton's presentation was very interesting, what we really need, in my view, is a comprehensive and objective assessment of the scale of investment required to take Japan to the 100 percent renewable energy future. There have been some studies by Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, Greenpeace, WWF, the Ministry of Environment, and others, but their results are all over the place.
Rather we may need something along the lines of the work done by David MacKay for the UK and presented at TEDxWarwick. He presents all the energy options, describes the implications of each and then suggests that each one of us decides what would work best. Its a sustainable energy strategy without the hot air!
Other presentations at the Tokyo event were also very insightful and covered urban design, sustainable transport, smart and strong grid technology and the compact city.
It appeared that the presenters and members of the audience were still somewhat wedded to 'business as usual' while recognizing that we collectively face unprecedented challenges.
Overall, it appeared that the presenters and members of the audience were still somewhat wedded to "business as usual" while recognizing that we collectively face unprecedented challenges. The focus was very much on "moving forward incrementally" and it was suggested by Hans Dietmar Schwiesgut, EU Ambassador to Japan, that talking about the "end of business as usual" was perhaps not helpful and could give the wrong impression.
At the end of the conference, I had two thoughts running through my head. First, I felt like I had traveled back in time and that I had been observing a meeting taking place towards the end of the Edo Bakufu period of feudal Japan, in the 1860s. In front of me were all the Daimyo's (contemporary business leaders representing the past powerful territorial lords) and they were discussing what Japan should do — modernize or not. The "end of business as they knew it" in 1860s Japan was the end of feudalism, the Meiji Restoration, and the beginning of industrial Japan. But sitting in the feudal world, it must have been difficult to imagine what the industrial world would mean.
Second, it is hard to imagine someone in 1860s Japan who might have believed that the country should modernize, or even someone in England at the start of the Industrial Revolution who believed that the feudal age was over, suggesting that we move forward with "incremental, small steps" as presented as the most practical way forward by one speaker. Indeed, a member of the audience did question whether "incremental change" was enough. To which the response from the speaker concerned was "we will see lots of small steps, and then some giant leaps".
So what is the next giant leap then? And will humanity make it in time?
End of Business as We Know It by Brendan Barrett is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION BELOW
Brendan F.D. Barrett
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Brendan F.D. Barrett is a senior lecturer in Sustainability and Urban Planning at RMIT University. His professional career includes work in the private sector, academia and with international organizations. He uses the web and information technologies as a means to communicate, teach and undertake research on issues of environment and human security. Prior to joining RMIT he worked in the United Nations for close to 20 years with UNEP and the UN University (UNU). He is a visiting researcher at the UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability in Tokyo, Japan, and a visiting associate professor at the University of Tokyo.
Berlin's 'System Error' Free Shop
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Japan as the New Normal: Living in a Constrained Economy
A New Economic Narrative: Industrial Revolution 3.0
Business Needs to Tackle the Sustainability Crisis
Thank you Brendan for this interesting piece of article.
As always, your article made me think a lot.
This time I thought that many, if not most, of the green job is related with novel and emerging kind of technology. For example, wind and solar energies are still in a nascent stage, by which I mean not as prevalent as other conventional energy sources like coal and oil.
However, most of the job as we know has nothing to do with the green business. For example, sales of products, retailers and so on. Granted, these jobs have possibility to turn into green, for instance through making logistics more effecient and recycling wastes.
My point is that new green business would provide impetus to make our economy somewhat cleaner and less dependent on polluting energy sources but without taking a giant step to reform the conventional -nothing to do with green- business, green, sustainable business may not be a viable option. In the end, the conventional businesses are the basis of our economy, I thought.
Incremental, small steps are important such as ISO standards but our time of standing pat has surely past: we must think about taking a giant step forward that can breakthrough the status quo. That's why your last inquiry what the next giant leap is was interesting and made me think a lot.
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text:
Fabro ist eine italienische Gemeinde mit  Einwohnern (Stand ) in der Provinz Terni in der Region Umbrien.

Geografie
Die Gemeinde erstreckt sich über rund 34 km². Sie liegt etwa 40 km südwestlich von Perugia und rund 60 km nordwestlich von Terni. Sie ist Teil der Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Comunità montana Monte Peglia e Selva di Meana.

Eine Besonderheit stellt der Ortsteil Poggiovalle dar, der vollständig von der Gemeinde Città della Pieve umgeben und somit zur Exklave von Fabro wird. Zu den weiteren Ortsteilen zählen Carnaiola und Fabro Scalo.

Die Nachbargemeinden sind Allerona, Cetona (SI), Città della Pieve (PG), Ficulle, Montegabbione, Monteleone d'Orvieto und San Casciano dei Bagni (SI).

Geschichte
Erste menschliche Ansiedlungen in dem Ort gehen auf die Römer zurück, die um das Jahr 1000 die bereits bestehende Burg erweiterten, um das Chianatal zu kontrollieren. Im 15. Jahrhundert erhielt der Ort durch Antonio da Sangallo der Ältere die Stadtmauern.

Der Ortsteil Carnaiola entstand ebenfalls um das Jahr 1000 und auch hier wurde von den Römern eine bestehende Burg erweitert, diesmal um die Ponte del Muro Grosso, eine Staumauer am Tiber, zu kontrollieren. Die Burg wurde um 1600 von der im Ort vorherrschenden Familie der Filippeschi in eine rein defensive Burg umgewandelt, doch schon 1602 übernahmen die Conti di Marsciano den Ort. Im 19. Jahrhundert gewann die Familie der Meoni di Buonconvento aus Buonconvento die Oberhand im Ort.

Die bis dahin unabhängigen Gemeinden Carnaiola und Fabro wurden 1870 zur Gemeinde Fabro zusammengeschlossen.

Der Ortsteil Fabro Scalo entstand in den 1930er Jahren, als die Bahnstrecke Florenz–Rom einen Halteort in Fabro erhielt, dieser aber außerhalb des Ortskern angesiedelt werden musste.

Sehenswürdigkeiten

 Chiesa della Beata Vanna, Kirche im Ortsteil Carnaiola, entstanden aus dem Geburtshaus der Heiligen Vanna (1264–1306, heiliggesprochen am 11. September 1753 durch Benedikt XIV.)
 Chiesa dei Santissimi Severo e Salvatore, Kirche im Ortsteil Carnaiola, entstanden im 16. Jahrhundert
 Chiesa parrocchiale di San Martino, Kirche aus dem 19. Jahrhundert in Fabro
 Palazzo Comunale in Fabro, Rathaus aus dem 19. Jahrhundert. Wurde von Guglielmo Calderini errichtet, der später auch den Palazzo di Giustizia in Rom gestaltete. Das Rathaus erlitt erhebliche Schäden im Zweiten Weltkrieg und wurde 1985 komplett renoviert

Verkehr
 Der Ort besitzt eine Anschlussstelle (Fabro) an der  A1.
 Der Ort liegt an der Bahnstrecke Florenz–Rom, der Haltepunkt heißt Fabro/Ficulle.

Veranstaltungen
 Palio dei Somari (dt. etwa: Der Palio der Esel), findet jährlich am 15. August (Ferragosto) im Rahmen der Veranstaltungsreihe Agosto Fabrese statt. Hierbei treten die vier Ortsteile (Rioni) des historischen Ortskerns gegeneinander an. Diese sind die Rione San Basilio (Grünschwarze Wappenfarben), Rione Castello (Rotblaue Wappenfarben), Rione Fratta (Weissrote Wappenfarben) und die Rione Collonetta (Schwarzgelbe Wappenfarben).

Gemeindepartnerschaften
 Bas-en-Basset im Kanton Bas-en-Basset, Frankreich, seit 2006

Weblinks

 Offizielle Website der Gemeinde Fabro
 Website des Pro Loco

Einzelnachweise

Ort in Umbrien
Weinbauort in Italien


F Clarke Breitkreuz (Regina. Prince George, 2008-10) has signed a one-year contract extension with Lausitzer Füchse Weißwasser (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 18 goals and 15 assists in 41 games. . . .
F Chris Francis (Portland, 2006-10) has signed a one-year contract extension with Saale Bulls Halle (Germany, Oberliga). In 26 games, he had 21 goals and 38 assists. He actually started the season with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL), recording one goal and one assist in 10 games.
It seems that the Spokane Chiefs are of the opinion that they eliminated the WHL's best team when they ousted the Everett Silvertips from the playoffs on Saturday night.
The Chiefs beat the visiting Silvertips, 2-1, in Game 5 on Saturday to win the Western Conference semifinal, 4-1, and advance to the conference final against the Vancouver Giants. That series is to open in Langley, B.C., with games on Friday and Saturday nights.
Don't tell the Chiefs, but the regular-season standings — never mind the second round of the playoffs — would seem to indicate that the Silvertips weren't the best team in the league.
The Prince Albert Raiders finished atop the overall standings, at 54-10-4. Because of the unbalanced schedule — it is terribly unbalanced due to the WHL being spread over four provinces and two states — comparing teams in different conferences really is an apples-and-oranges thing.
But the Giants topped the Western Conference, at 48-15-5. They were 11 points behind the Raiders and two in front of the Silvertips.
The Chiefs? The finished 40-21-7, good for eighth place in the overall standings, 12 points behind the Silvertips and 14 behind the Giants, their next opponent.
We may have solved a couple of mysteries left over from Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal between the Spokane Chiefs and Everett Silvertips.
You will recall that Spokane D Filip Kral was suspended for one game for "game misconduct versus Everett on April 12," according to the WHL. Kral was given a game misconduct at 19:28 of third period of a game that the host Chiefs went on to win, 4-1. There were rumblings that Kral was ejected from the game while seated on the Chiefs' bench.
Well, a follower of the Chiefs who is a reader of this blog informed Taking Note on Saturday night that "Kral squirted water from the bench and I guess it hit the linesman's leg." The source spoke with Kral while he was serving his suspension by missing Game 5 in Spokane on Saturday night.
While the WHL didn't offer any specifics, including which game it was, the same Chiefs follower tells Taking Note that a violation may have occurred prior to Game 4 when Spokane F Luke Toporowski "shot a puck into Everett's net just before the horn sounded to end" the warmup. "I saw him do it and thought that wasn't allowed," the source told Taking Note.
So . . . while all of this is speculation, it just may have solved a couple of mysteries. A tip of the Taking Note fedora to the observant and interested Chiefs follower who took the time to write.
Going into these playoffs, many of the hockey whisperers were of the opinion that the Spokane Chiefs may have had a goaltending problem. Not that they didn't have any goaltending, but that their play in that department may have been lacking when compared to some other teams.
Well, Bailey Brkin is in the process of shooting that theory to smithereens.
A 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., Brkin was 27-11-3, 2.75, .914 in the regular season, and now is 8-2, 2.26, .931 in the playoffs. He is preparing to lead the Chiefs into the Western Conference final, having beaten the Portland Winterhawks (Shane Farkas, Joel Hofer) and Everett Silvertips (Dustin Wolf) in the first two rounds.
It could be that the whisperers still haven't forgotten Brkin's numbers from the 23 appearances he made with the Kootenay Ice last season — 7-12-2, 4.51, .874.
His time with the Ice ended on Jan. 8, 2018, when the Chiefs acquired him for — get this! — an eighth-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft.
The Ice, of course, hasn't been a good team for a few seasons now, so it's likely that Brkin found Spokane to be a breath of fresh air.
Considering Brkin's numbers this season, you would have to say the feeling is mutual.
When the Spokane Chiefs and Vancouver open the Western Conference final on Friday in Langley, B.C., Giants F Jadon Joseph will be appearing in his third consecutive conference final. . . . In each of the previous two seasons, Joseph was with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Two years ago, they lost to the Regina Pats in six games. Last season, the Hurricanes again were ousted in six games, this time by the Swift Current Broncos. . . . In 2017, Joseph, a 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., had two goals and an assist in 20 playoff games. Last spring, he put up three goals and nine assists in 16 games. . . . The Hurricanes dealt him to Regina this season, and the Giants acquired him from the Pats on Jan. 4, giving up a second-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft and a sixth-rounder in 2020. . . . In the regular season, Joseph had 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 games with the Giants. In the playoffs, he has six goals and two assists in 10 games. . . . Most importantly, as far as the Giants are concerned, is that he joined them having already appeared in 36 playoff games.
IMO Saskatoon was the 2nd best team in the Eastern conference this year. Better than anyone in the Central. More evidence of why this playoff format is stupid and needs to be changed.
NOTES: The WHL's conference semifinals are over, with nary a one of the four series going to seven games. . . . Two of them were sweeps — the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Calgary Hitmen, and the Vancouver Giants dumped the Victoria Royals — while one went five games and another six. . . . The Spokane Chiefs took out the Everett Silvertips in five; the Prince Albert Raiders beat the Blades, 6-3, in Saskatoon on Sunday to win that series in six games. . . .
The WHL now goes dark until Friday night when the conference finals are scheduled to open, with the Oil Kings in Prince Albert, and the Chiefs meeting the Giants in Langley, B.C. . . .
When Prince Albert beat the host Blades, 6-3, on Sunday, it marked the 66th playoff victory for Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. That moves him into a tie for ninth place with Ken Hitchcock on the WHL's all-time list, one victory behind Willie Desjardins and Don Nachbaur. . . . Who's No. 1? Don Hay, of course. Hay has recorded 108 playoff victories as a head coach, seven more than Ken Hodge. . . .
Habscheid also has moved to ninth place on the WHL's list of combined coaching victories. He now has 575 regular-season and playoff victories, four behind Brent Sutter. . . . Hay also is No. 1 here, at 858, with Hodge second, at 843.
F Dante Hannoun scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 6-3 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . The Raiders won the Eastern Conference semifinal, 4-2, and will meet the Edmonton Oil Kings in the final. That series is to open with games in Prince Albert on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Raiders are into the conference final for the first time since 2005. . . . F Parker Kelly (4) put the Raiders out front, 1-0, at 10:28 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Ryan Hughes (1) tied it at 16:45. . . . The Raiders took a two-goal lead on second-period goals from Hannoun (7), at 5:08, and F Aliaksei Protas (4), on a PP, at 8:18. . . . Hughes (2) halved the Saskatoon deficit, on a PP, at 15:24. . . . Hannoun (8) restored the two-goal lead, at 3:33. . . . F Sean Montgomery (7) upped the Raiders' lead to 5-2, on a PP, at 5:27. . . . F Tristen Robins (3) scored for the Blades 29 second later. . . . Hannoun (9) completed his hat trick with an empty-netter at 19:58. . . .
The Raiders acquired Hannoun, along with fourth- and eighth-round picks in the 2019 bantam draft, from the Victoria Royals on Jan. 3, for F Carson Miller, F Kody McDonald and a third-round selection in the 2020 bantam draft. . . . In 28 regular-season games with the Raiders, Hannoun, 20, had 10 goals and 21 assists. In 10 playoff games, he has a WHL-leading nine goals. He is tied for the points lead with F Davis Koch of the Vancouver Giants, each with 14. . . . Prince Albert was 2-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 2-4. . . . F Noah Gregor and F Brett Leason each had two assists for the winners. . . . G Ian Scott stopped 19 shots for the Raiders, seven fewer than Saskatoon's Nolan Maier. . . . The Raiders scratched F Cole Fonstad for a second straight game and had F Cole Nagy, an AP, dressed for this one. . . . The Raiders were without F Justin Nachbaur, who served the first of a two-game suspension. He also will sit out the first game of the Eastern Conference final on Friday.
F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with the Milton Keynes Lightning (England, UK Elite). This season, with Orlik Opole (Poland, PHL), he had 18 goals and 19 assists in 35 games. He led the Lightning in goals and points, and was tied for the team lead in assists. . . .
F Zach Boychuk (Lethbridge, 2005-09) signed a one-year contract with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia, KHL). This season, with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 35 games. He was the KHL's forward of the month for November. . . .
F Clarke Breitkreuz (Regina, Prince George, 2008-10) signed a one-year contract with Lausitzer Füchse Weisswasser (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2), he had seven goals and nine assists in 40 games. . . .
D Alexei Platonov (Medicine Hat, 2015-16) signed a try-out contract with Lada Togliatti (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). This season, with Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), he had one goal and two assists in 24 games. . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Courchevel-Méribel-Pralognan (France, Division 2). This season, with Brest (France, Division 1), he had seven goals and 12 assists in 22 games. . . .
D Riley Stadel (Kelowna, Edmonton, 2011-17) signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Storm (England, UK Elite). This season, with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite), he had 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 games. . . .
F Michal Poletín (Regina, 2009-10) signed a one-year contract with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 10 goals and nine assists in 52 games. . . .
F Taylor Makin (Prince George, Vancouver, 2008-13) signed a one-year contract with Brest (France, Division 1). This season, with Acadia University (Atlantic University Sports), he had four goals and two assists in 12 games. . . .
F Jacob Doty (Seattle, Medicine Hat, 2009-14) signed a one-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). This season, with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite), he had 16 goals and 19 assists in 56 games.
What follows was written earlier today (Sunday) but a four-hour power outage on the east side of Kamloops meant that its posting was delayed. So without further ado . . .
I actually took a couple of days away from the laptop in order to paint our deck. It was supposed to have been done last summer, but the smoke from the forest fires limited the amount of time a person could spend outside.
This time I only had to battle the mosquitoes. I haven't seen them this bad since we left Regina in the spring of 2000. This spring, in the Kamloops area, we had a sudden turn to 30 C temperatures and a quick snow melt from the higher areas, all of which combined for a perfect mosquito-hatching season.
Having sat on our deck and enjoyed many a mosquito-free evening over the last few years, I had forgotten that the only thing mosquitoes like more than heat and water is human flesh.
But, hey, I toughed it out and the painting is finished.
I did take time out late last week to have a cup of coffee with Stu Middleton, the man behind Hockey Gives Blood.
He is a busy man these days. But, oh boy, has he accomplished a lot in less than two months.
With that in mind, Hockey Gives Blood was front and centre at the Royal Bank Cup in Chilliwack and at the Memorial Cup in Regina last month.
Yes, Middleton says, Hockey Gives Blood has made some inroads, but it has a long, long way to go.
Middleton has big plans for the non-profit organization, most of which are still in the planning stage. But you can count on hearing a lot from Hockey Gives Blood in the near future.
In the meantime, watch for representatives at events like annual golf tournaments held by the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets, and the Humboldt Broncos Memorial tournament at the Humboldt Golf Club on Aug. 18.
You are able to check out Hockey Gives Blood right here.
If you haven't seen it, Pam Cowan of the Regina Leader-Post wrote about Middleton and Hockey Gives Blood in April, and that story is right here.
As expected, the Kamloops Blazers introduced Matt Bardsley as their new general manager at a news conference on Friday morning.
Bardsley, 46, had been with the Portland Winterhawks since 1999, working his way up from scout to assistant general manager.
In Kamloops, Bardsley takes over from Stu MacGregor, who now is on the scouting staff of the NHL's Dallas Stars. The Stars are owned by Tom Gaglardi, who is the majority owner of the Blazers.
Bardsley steps into a Kamloops organization that needs a head coach, at least one assistant coach, and a director of player personnel.
Don Hay, the head coach for the past four seasons, has been moved to an advisory role, although he has made it apparent that he still wants to coach and that his phone line is open.
Assistant coach Mike Needham, who had been with the Blazers since 2010, and director of player personnel Matt Recchi, who had been in his position for 10 years, were told their contracts couldn't be renewed.
Bardsley's first job will be to hire a head coach, with Kyle Gustafson, who has been on the Winterhawks' coaching staff since 2003-04, definitely in the running.
Meanwhile, the Blazers have scheduled a news conference for this afternoon (Monday) at which they are expected to announce the signing of F Logan Stankoven, who is from Kamloops.
Stankoven was the fifth overall selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. This season, he had 57 goals and 33 assists in 30 games with the Yale Hockey Academy bantam prep team in Abbotsford, B.C.
The Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League and Stankoven announced Sunday that he will play for them in 2018-19.
I would like to thank @YHA_Lions for a great season and an awesome experience🦁. Thanks to all the coaches and staff for making it a great year I won't forget. Looking forward to the 2018-19 season playing for the Thompson blazers major midget team!!!
The Brandon Wheat Kings have signed D Vincent Iorio, a highly touted second-round selection in the WHL's 2017 bantam draft. Iorio was widely believed to be going the NCAA route before signing with the Wheat Kings. From Port Coquitlam, B.C., he has a late birthday, so won't turn 16 until Nov. 14. . . . This season, he had four goals and 19 assists in 52 games with the U16 midget team at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minn. The previous season, he had eight goals and 24 assists in 39 games with the bantam T1 team at Shattuck-St. Mary's.
Brandon also signed F Nolan Ritchie, 16, who was a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. His father, Darren, is a former Wheat Kings player who now scouts for the organization. . . . This season, Nolan had 40 goals and 44 assists in 45 games with the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. His 84 points left him second in the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League scoring race. In his draft season, he won the Winnipeg Bantam AAA League's scoring derby with 89 points, 51 of them goals, with the Wheat Kings.
The Wheat Kings also have signed F Jake Chiasson and F Brett Hyland to WHL contracts. . . . Chiasson was a first-round selection, 15th overall, in the 2018 bantam draft, while Hyland was taken in the second round. . . . Chiasson, from Abbotsford, stayed at home this season and played at the Yale Hockey Academy. He had 20 goals and 48 assists in 30 games with the bantam prep team. . . . Hyland, from Edmonton, had 10 goals and 25 assists in 17 games with the Northern Alberta Xtreme bantam prep team this season.
18. Kelowna — F Trevor Wong.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed F Cole Sillinger, who was a first-round selection, 11th overall, in the WHL's 2018 bantam draft. This season, he had 46 goals and 37 assists in 30 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy's bantam prep team. From Regina, his father, Mike, starred for the Regina Pats (1987-91) before going to a lengthy pro career that included 1,049 regular-season NHL games.
The Tigers also signed D Dru Krebs, who was taken in the second-round of the 2018 bantam draft. From Okotoks, Krebs had seven goals and 10 assists in 35 games with the bantam AAA Okotoks Oilers. . . . Krebs has two brothers playing in the WHL — Peyton is with the Kootenay Ice, while Dakota plays for the Calgary Hitmen. Yes, all three brothers are with teams in the Central Division, although Dru, at 15, isn't eligible for full-time play until the 2019-20 season.
The City of Kennewick is going to make improvements to the 30-year-old Toyota Center that is home to the WHL's Tri-City Americans. Annie Fowler and Wendy Culverwell of the Tri-City Herald report that "visitors will soon see improvements . . . under an agreement that will keep the Americans for the foreseeable future." . . . The major project this summer will be the installation of LED lighting. . . . In time, it is expected that a new ice plant and video board will be installed, and improvements will be made to the visiting team dressing room. . . . Taking Note has been told that improvements also will be made to the foyer and there will changes to the concessions. . . . The WHL had implemented a deadline of September 2019 for improvements to be made in order that the facility met league standards. . . . The Americans' lease expires in 2020. . . . The Herald's story is right here.
The Prince George Cougars and Vista Radio, owners of 94.3 the Goat, have agreed on a deal covering play-by-play rights for the 2018-19 season. Fraser Roger will call the play for a second straight season, with Hartley Miller back for a sixth season as the analyst.
Mark Chase has signed on as the general manager and head coach of the junior B Osoyoos Coyotes of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. From Kamloops, Chase, 31, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the SJHL's Melville Millionaires. . . . In Osoyoos, Chase takes over from Ken Law, who was dropped after being the only head coach in the team's eight-year existence. Under Law, the Coyotes won one KIJHL title and six regular-season division titles. . . . Andrew Stuckey of Osoyoos Today has more right here.


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Airlines in Freefall as Trump Shuts Europe Routes
Is Boeing Done For? What Charts Say After 64% Fall
Boeing shares have become a disaster.
Bret Kenwell
Shares of Boeing (BA) - Get Free Report have become a disaster. Shares have declined 10% on Thursday and have fallen more than 60% from its highs.
Originally, the 737 MAX was the company's biggest headache. Grounded jets, regulatory issues and a drying up of orders has put a serious strain on Boeing's business.
Throw in the coronavirus and this nightmare scenario for Boeing is becoming reality. As if the 737 MAX issues weren't enough, airline stocks are getting crushed as demand sinks for flights and as travel bans are on the rise. Plus, marketwide volatility is running rampant.
Investors fear that demand for new jet orders will wane and that cancellations will follow. Stoking Boeing-specific fears is the company's decision to draw down the entirety of its recent $13.8 billion loan.
This is being reflected in the stock price. Shares are down 35.5% this week and 43% this month, while at Thursday's low the stock was down 64.3% from the all-time highs.
Trading Boeing Stock
Weekly chart of Boeing stock.
Chart courtesy of Stockcharts.com
In the last week of February, Boeing stock tested down to the 200-week moving average and held this area as support. That wasn't the same story a week later though, with shares knifing through this mark, although closing off the lows.
It was a bad omen and a sign of things to come. With this support layer out of the way, it should have been a warning sign to bulls. If Boeing were to reclaim the 200-week moving average, then the bulls would have had a leg to stand on. But it didn't reclaim this mark and so they didn't have a case to make.
Now we know why, as shares have fallen $100 apiece at one point this week, as the stock tries to find its footing in the $160 to $170 range.
If Boeing can get going back over $180, it puts $200 and $220 on the table. However, if it can't find buyers and the stock takes out the recent low near $155, the $135 to $140 breakout zone may be the next downside target.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist in any regard. But the simple fact of the matter is that the Dow Jones is now in bear market territory, while the Volatility Index undefined is north of $60. If buyers step up and volatility plunges, the Dow, Boeing and others may surge higher and reclaim once-vital support levels. However, if the selling keeps up, we have downside levels to keep in mind too.
Bret writes articles based on technical analysis for TheStreet.
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What are the Most Common Cloud Backup Mistakes?
With the availability of laptops, smartphones, digital cameras, and other gadgets, there has also been a rise of files which need to be stored. The amount of files, may they be for personal or business purposes, need a safe storage space. Thankfully, the cloud is now available to most internet users and storing files online for access later on is possible through the cloud.
– This actually happens to some people who rely on their usually fast-syncing cloud services. However, there are times when the Internet experiences minor hiccups which affect the upload speed of files. Sometimes, cloud users close their browser page or power off their device before the files successfully get uploaded to the cloud. They only notice that the files are missing when they need to access them and the files aren't in their cloud backup.
– This is a security mistake which happens when people are used to accessing their cloud backup using their own devices. When they need to access it online using public computers, they forget to log out which puts them at risk of file theft or file loss.
– There are different settings from various cloud backup providers, but always keeping your default setting as private helps you keep your files more secure. Public folders can be accessible to everyone, and doing so is especially risky for personal files or work-related documents. Wrongfully sharing folders also happen!
– Sometimes, this cannot be helped, such as when a certain amount of files get copied to your cloud backup folder. Other times, however, people just keep on uploading files which they can actually do without. Before uploading files to your cloud backup, make an effort to evaluate their importance to see whether or not you need to store them. This is especially true when you need to conserve space when you only have free cloud storage.
– Say you have paid cloud storage and a great amount of space to use. Make sure you organize your folders because a ton of files can be hard to deal with. Leaving your cloud backup messy makes finding files a bit of a hassle, so make sure that upon uploading files, you make an effort to organize them for easy access later on.
Have you tried using cloud backup services before? Tell us your experiences in the comments section!
This entry was posted in Cloud Backup and tagged cloud backup, cloud backup services, cloud backup terms on September 24, 2014 by Loren.


Find out more about Citroën's Blind Spot Monitoring System.
The blind spot monitoring system detects vehicles up to three meters away. If someone has moved into that critical area where it's hard for you to see just using mirrors, a bright orange light illuminates in the wing mirror on the relevant side. Now you've got an extra pair of eyes looking out for you.