ACTION POINT: CH to ask re possibility of BAD collecting membership fee.
Should we be a registered charity?
ACTION POINT: BP to coordinate – will ask BAD if they have an IT lead; to look into costs of platform like One-note.
Discussion on importance of this – agreed that all patients should be screened within 6-12 months of transplantation.
AH agreed appropriate for nurses to do baselines assessment– could liaise with transplant nurses – need to specify timing of such appointments – at least 30 mins per patient.
BSSCII RECOMMENDATION no 1: Need for baseline assessment – at least by nurse if appropriate – possibly in transplant clinics – within a (6-12 months). Stratify for risk at that point.
BP – highlighted the importance of ensuring everyone who is in the system is seen, i.e. getting rid of variance – needs to be managed carefully– ensure algorithm followed. Discussion on how best to ensure this. Information should be provided when on transplant waiting list. In terms of ensuing patients are seen for baselines assessment and education post-tx ? need for a database nationally – HR suggested that this could possibly be organised through UK transplant registry – linked into regional dermatology centrea.
ACTION POINT: HR to research this as a possibility.
CP – point of baseline assessment is to empower pt – education – risk assess at baseline.
Once skin lesions develop – must be seen in dermatology clinic.
BSCCII should develop algorithms for assessment and follow-up – tick list for assessment at baselines (by nurses).
ACTION POINT: AH to coordinate.
ACTION : CP to encourage – but we need to check on process. CP to check with referees in Cambridge.
At BAD – 5th-7th July – members to check diaries over next few weeks and decide upon a suitable date to met during the BAD.
information sent through by Chris Bunker was circulated.


text:
Q: How to get specific string value from a command line in gpg for secret key? When I do this command, I got the following Keygrip value but it has 2. How do I get the first Keygrip value (0FCB25C3D73CC979F7732F5690E958A580D873B9) that should be in the "sec" section ?
root $> gpg --with-keygrip --list-secret-keys  F9211C72F41103B4

sec   rsa2048 2020-08-19 [SC]
      BC777712D75642B7F3D50980F6031C73F46103B4
      Keygrip = 0FCB25C3D73CC979F7732F5690E958A580D873B9   //<-- how to get this one
uid           [ultimate] Kalib Zen (Backup Key) <key@staffm.com>
ssb   rsa2048 2020-08-19 [E]
      Keygrip = 75DECACEB6DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD28392832323232

A: Pipe the output of your gpg command to either of the grep /sed/awk commands shown below.
Employing GNU grep with the PCRE engine enabled(-P), select only the matching portion(-o), and get just the first match(-m1). The \K is used to keep away the non included portion of the line.
grep -Pom1 '^ *Keygrip += +\K.*'

GNU sed with Gnu-specific construct T
for the inverted test command
sed -Ene 's/^ *Keygrip += +//;T;p;q'

###Or Posixly,
sed -e '/^ *Keygrip  *=  */!d;s///;q'

With awk you set the field separator to "one_or_more_spc=one_or_more_spc"
and print the 2nd field after ensuring the appropriate first field  and line has exactly two fields.
awk -F' += +' '
  /^ *Keygrip / && NF==2 {
    print $2;exit
  }'

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text:
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Home › 2014 › Favorite Things of 2014
Favorite Things of 2014
Great year? Good year? So-so year? God awful year?
Who knows. I sure don't. Can we really make a call on what kind of year it was so close to it ending? Like really, I just decided 2006 was a pretty good year. So 2014? I have no clue. How will this year even be remembered? What will be it's lasting impact, it's images, it's quotes, it's figures? It has to be known for more than just the year we saw Kim Kardashian's badonkadonk, right?
Again, no clue. Points for honesty!
Yet while I can't decide what kind of year 2014 was, I can lay out what my ten favorite things of the year were. I can even lay them out in order.
10. Chris Christie & Bridgegate
There were three constants in the Back to the Future Trilogy.
Someone calling Marty McFly yellow…or coward…or chicken
The presence of the clock tower
A member of the Tannen family getting their comeuppance
I think about number three when I think about Chris Christie. Why? Because seeing a Tannen, whether it was Biff, Buford or Griff, get their ass handed to them and subsequently put in their place was always one of the best parts of the Back to the Future movies. We love seeing bullies get knocked down, for the little guy to finally stand over them and have the last laugh. And this is exactly why I enjoyed Bridgegate so much. For what seemed like the first time, Chris Christie, the loud-mouthed, pervasive dick and obnoxious blowhard governor of New Jersey, took shit. No more yelling at school teachers, no more condescending dismissing of legitimate concerns he didn't agree with, no more I'm right and you're wrong bluster. No. For once the spotlight was pointed square in his direction, accompanied by the criticism he had manged to duck, dive and dodge for so long. I don't care that he'll probably avoid any punishment for it; I don't even think he was that involved with the whole thing. But I did love seeing him finally getting some shit thrown in his direction.
For the longest time Spotify on your phone, if you were like me and not a premium subscriber, was a waste of time. All that was available was the radio. That's it. But then in January, they changed their policy. Now you could stream music on your phone. You had to do so in shuffle, but it was better than nothing. Hey, good looking out, Spotify.
8. True Detective & Fargo
In this guy's opinion, these were the two best shows on television this year- essentially 1A and 1B because I can't pick one over the other. Although Fargo is 1A and True Detective is 1B because, well I guess I do like Fargo slightly better. Regardless! These two shows came in like gang busters and for their brief runs, owned television. True Detective became a legitimate Thing, owning that quiet time of year between Christmas movies and Game of Thrones. If you weren't on board from the get go, you were eventually. Everyone was. Even the President watched True Detective. Unfortunately all of this attention kind of worked against the show, as speculation and expectations became bigger than the show itself. People started treating the show like it was Lost, eventually wanting it to be Lost. But the show was called True Detective. It was at it's core a cop show, albeit one surrounded by some crazy, weird shit. Any mythology was background noise. It was ultimately going to be about the case. And that's the kicker, it rocked as a cop show. All that weirdo fluff was great, but it was just that, weirdo fluff.
Episode four of True Detective was the game changer, thanks in large part to the six minute, tracking shot it featured. It destroyed Twitter, dominated water cooler conversations, was dissected tirelessly. Why? Because dude, it was awesome and more importantly, it didn't feel like television. It felt bigger than that; felt bigger than television and not just because it featured two movie stars as it's leads. The tone of the show, the way it was shot- it seemed important in a way the best parts of The Sopranos felt important. And it had an ending in sight all along, which I definitely think was part of the appeal. It would be eight episodes- a start and then a finish. There wouldn't be a monster in the shape of a cliff-hanger at the end. There would be an ending. There also wouldn't be any opportunity to over stay it's welcome (i.e. Boardwalk Empire.) Eight episodes. In and out, looking super fly in the process.
Fargo ran on a similar track, one story in one season. It was loosely based on the Coen Brothers' movie of the same name, but that movie was less of an inspiration that it was a jumping off point. The tone was there, as was the location and the accents. But the story was fresh and original and only grew stronger with each episode. Fargo missed out on some of the hugs and kisses that True Detective got largely due to timing, coming in while Game of Thrones and Mad Men were still on and dominating TV conversation. And that's a shame because a lot of people missed out on some really quality television.
7. Dude, Joffrey's dead!
And speaking of real quality television, Game of Thrones just kept on being effin' awesome this year. They waited all of one episode to crank things up and they did it with style- they killed Joffrey. Yeah, Joffrey. Him. Just like that. One minute he's about to get hitched to Margaery (side note: way out of his league) and the next minute he's choking on wine and poof, dead. Dead, dead, dead. Oh Game of Thrones, you tricky bastard. I didn't even realize how boring or stale the show was on the verge of becoming until Joffrey died because once he was dead, chaos reigned and shit got all sorts of crazy. It was perfect and think about it, how long could Joffrey's bat shit crazy reign really last before it got boring? He had gone from zero to psychopath so quickly that he had essentially flat-lined or at the very least was on the verge of flat-lining. Only we hadn't really noticed because Game of Thrones is awesome. It is so awesome that it fixes a problem we didn't even know was a problem yet. Well played, Game of Thrones. Well played. Now it's time to do something about Daenerys. Chop, chop.
6. "Uptown Funk"
I love everything about this song. I love how it feels so retro, but feels so fresh. How it's almost exploding with energy. I love that it seemingly won't ever get old. And I love how I'm bound to forget about it for a little while in January only to have it come bounding back in my life in February when Mark Ronson's new album comes out.
Here, let's take a quick break and just dig on this for a few minutes…
Cool, game on.
5. The Spurs Win the NBA Title
In 2013, I had become a LeBron James' fan. It had become impossible not to be one. He was amazing, the real deal- we were witnessing something amazing and it'd be downright foolish to ignore it or downplay any longer. Go LeBron, go.
However, LeBron's team, the Heat? No, eff those dudes. Dwayne Wade is goon, Chris Bosh is an unfunny cartoon character, Mario Chalmers is a despicable front runner. I rooted for the Spurs in 2013 and I was damn sure rooting for them again in 2014. Plus, if the Heat lost, then who knows what would follow and where LeBron might land the following summer in free agency (Spoiler: Cleveland.) For multiple reasons I wanted the Spurs to win. Three games in, I want total annihilation. Miami looked lifeless and defeated in the Finals and I sat on my couch, pleading for them to deliver the death blow to a purely fraudulent team. And it was never even close. The Spurs won in 5 games; should have been four. But five was fun. I'm a sucker for a good sports story and the Spurs winning the title, a year after losing a heart breaker, a fitting (possibly) ending to their unbelievable run of success was gold, Jerry, gold! I wholeheartedly enjoyed every minute of it.
4. Jon Oliver's Last Week Tonight
I already professed my love of Oliver and his HBO show when he finished in second place in the Summer of 2014 MVP race, so I don't really feel the need to get into it again. So here, just enjoy this clip instead.
3. Bachelor in Paradise Sonic Highways
Up until yesterday, Bachelor in Paradise, also known as the Best/Worst Television Show Ever, was a lock in the three spot. How could it not be? It kept me wonderfully entertained all summer and taught me once and for all what love really is. I mean, all along I thought love was finding a lasting connection with someone who you couldn't envision life without. Love is much, much, much simpler than that. Love is apparently just locking eyes with someone while buzzed on Rum Runners on an isolated beach in Mexico. I had been so, so wrong all along.
And I had apparently been wrong about who should be number three on this list because sadly, it was not Bachelor in Paradise. Number three would be a far better television show- Sonic Highways, the Dave Grohl curated and driven HBO mini-series. Lasting only eight episodes, each one took place in a different city, a city with a rich musical history, as well as a personal connection to either Grohl or another member of the Foo Fighters. And in each city the band would record a song for their album Sonic Highways in a city's iconic recording studio. They went to Chicago, D.C., Nashville, Austin, L.A., New Orleans, Seattle and finally New York City and it really was mesmerizing to watch, especially for someone like me who is equally obsessed with music, musicians talking about music and U.S. history. Sonic Highways had it all.
The Seattle episode is what sealed the deal for me. It not only brought back so many memories for me of discovering grunge, falling in love with Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden and how it all lit the fuse of my desire to make music of my own, but it also was beautiful in the way the episode discussed Kurt Cobain's death.* They didn't overdo it or belabor the point. It was smooth and tactful- really well done. The whole series was really well done and after finishing the series, I immediately wanted to go back and watch them all again. It also helped me re-discover the Foo Fighters and pointed me in the direction (or back in the direction) of bands & people like the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Gary Clark Jr., Nirvana, Soundgarden and Cheap Trick among others. I really can't wait to watch it again.
* It made me think about where I was when I heard Cobain died and I'm pretty sure I was in an airport, headed to Florida on school vacation and caught a glimpse of a headline on a newspaper. That would have been the day after, which is wild to think about now, finding out something happened almost twelve hours after it did.
2. Serial
Oh man, Serial. Talk about something coming along and effin' sweeping the nation like a G-D hurricane. I kept seeing things on Twitter about it, but you see a lot of things about a lot of things on Twitter so it's easy to miss something. Then Elyse mentioned it, I made a joke about it being a podcast about cereal, she ignored said joke and later that day on the way home I gave it a listen. A day later I was four episodes in and all I could think about was Hai's murder, did Adnan do it, did Jay do it, did Jay help Adnan, what if Jay and Adnan were the same person, can we learn more about Mr. S? For someone who listens to podcasts on a regular basis, it was a breath of fresh air. And so smart! How had no one thought of doing a serialized podcast before? And what the shit, we're essentially going back in time here, where we all huddle around the radio listening to a radio program. But that's so cool. And Serial is so cool.
My Serial Finale Prediction?
Nothing clear-cut is resolved, but enough doubt is cast about if Adnan really did kill Hai that it will make the whole thing worthwhile.
Do I think Adnan killed Hai?
Then who did?
I feel like Jay was involved.
So Adnan wasn't involved at all?
If he was then he got Jay to do it, offered to pay him to do it. But then when he didn't pay him enough money, Jay tried to make it seem like Adnan did it as revenge. But Jay is an idiot and somehow left himself in the story, which makes no sense.
1. The 2014 World Cup
My MVP of the Summer was the U.S. Men's National Team and it's goalie, Tim Howard. But the World Cup as a whole was easily my favorite thing that happened in 2014. Every match, every goal, every save- everything was what sports are meant to be- so much flippin' fun. I loved the momentum that the U.S. team built and how with every match, excitement grew, even among people who could care less about soccer. It was a wave, people wanted in.
Huge viewing parties, dipping out of work to watch, running home to watch- it all became par for the course as the Cup went on and even after the U.S. was eliminated and as a country, we publicly disavowed Belgium waffles, the Cup was still interesting all the way up to the final when eventually Germany prevailed. I love when sports becomes something everyone can talk about because I love the shared experience of sports. When I lived in Philly, nothing was better than when the Phillies were winning because the whole city got on board and everywhere you went were people more than willing to talk about it. The we're all in this together quality of sports is truly magical. I love it.
And I loved the World Cup.
And I haven't had a Belgium waffle since.
Also in the Running…
New albums by Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Spoon and the Black Keys
The final episodes of Boardwalk Empire
Twitter killing it as a news outlet
The second seasons of The Americans and The Bridge
The New Girl's turn around
Bruno Mars' Super Bowl Halftime performance
Mo'ne Davis
Stay Tuned for My Least Favorite Things of 2014…
‹ 14 Maybes for 2014 Revisted
Not So Favorite Things of 2014 ›
Tags: 2014, 2014 world cup, bridgegate, bruno mars, chris christie, fargo, favorite things, foo fighters, Game of Thrones, Joffrey, lebron james, mark ronson, serial, sonic highways, spotify, Television, true detective, twitter, uptown funk, USMNT, year in review
Not So Favorite Things of 2014 | GIDDY UP AMERICA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Halliburton's Revenue Breakdown Worldwide (2016-2022)
This statistic highlights Halliburton's Revenue Breakdown Worldwide, split across Europe/Africa/CIS, Latin America, the Middle East/Asia and North America, reported on a quarterly basis from Q1 2016 onwards.
By Lakshay kumar
Halliburton Company is an American multinational company. It owns hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands, and departments worldwide and employs approximately 55,000 people. The company has two headquarters in Houston and Dubai and continues to be incorporated in the United States. The company's main business is the Energy Services Group (ESG). They provide a wide range of products and services to upstream oil and gas customers around the world.
Halliburton's Revenue Breakdown Worldwide
Europe/Africa/CIS $0.65 $0.68 $0.68 17.51%
Latin America $0.38 $0.53 $0.62 16.17%
Middle East/Asia $0.96 $0.93 $0.95 24.48%
North America $0.98 $1.57 $1.62 41.84%
Total $2.98 $3.71 $3.86 100%
Halliburton Company's total revenue increased from $2.98 billion in Q3 2020 to $3.86 billion in Q3 2021, marking a growth of 29.53% ($0.88 billion) in that year. If compared quarterly, the company's revenue increased from $3.71 billion in Q2 2021 to $3.86 billion in Q3 2021, making an increment of 4.04% ($0.15 billion).
Halliburton Companies revenue is further bifurcated into the following regions:
Europe/Africa/CIS
Halliburton's revenue from the Europe/Africa/CIS region witnessed a downfall of 19.23%, from $0.78 billion in Q1 2016 to $0.63 billion in Q1 2021. However, its revenue increased from $0.65 billion in Q3 2020 to $0.68 billion in Q3 2021, setting an incline of 4.62% ($0.03 billion). However, the revenue remained constant as it was recorded to be $0.68 billion in Q2 2021 and Q3 2021. This region generated 17.51% of the total revenue in Q3 2021.
The company's revenue from the Latin America region accounted for 16.17% of the total revenue in Q3 2021. The revenue from this region remained constant throughout 5 years from Q1 2016 to Q1 2021 amounting to $0.54 billion. However, the revenue grew up from $0.38 billion in Q3 2020 to $0.62 billion in Q3 2021, making an increase of 63.16% ($0.24 billion) in a year. Quarterly, the company achieved a growth of 16.98 % from $0.53 billion in Q2 2021 to $0.62 billion in Q3 2021.
Middle East/Asia
The company's revenue from the Middle East/Asia region decreased from 1.09 billion in Q1 2016 to 0.88 billion in Q1 2021, making a decline of 19.27%. The revenue further showed a downfall from $0.96 billion in Q3 2020 to $0.93 billion in Q2 2021, setting a downfall of 3.13% ($0.03 billion). However, the revenue witnessed a slight increase from $0.93 billion in Q2 2021 to $0.95 billion in Q3 2021, making an incline of 2.15% ($0.02 billion). This region contributed 24.48% of the whole revenue generated in Q3 2021.
The total revenue generated from this region witnessed a downfall of 21.79% from $1.79 billion in Q1 2016 to $1.40 in Q1 2021. However, the majority of Halliburton company's revenue was generated through the North America region which accounted for 41.84% of the company's revenue in Q3 2021, amounting to $1.62 billion. It grew by 65.31% compared to $0.98 billion generated in Q3 2020 and 3.18% compared to $1.57 billion in Q2 2021.
Halliburton is one of the world's largest suppliers of products and services serving the ever-changing needs of the energy industry. Erle P. Halliburton founded this company in 1919. With more than 50,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities in more than 80 countries, the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is also part of the S&P 500. At Halliburton, experts collaborate and design solutions to help customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir. They combine technology, service, and implementation expertise to help their customers with hydrocarbon location, geological data management, drilling and formation assessment, well construction and completion, and optimization. optimize production performance throughout the life of their assets. The company helps energy companies maximize value throughout the reservoir's lifecycle, from exploration to well construction and completion, to production optimization and business execution. The company's major business segments are Energy services (the foundation of the company's history), formation evaluation, digital and consulting services, production volume optimization, and fluid systems. These segments proved to be profitable and the company is one of the biggest global players in these service industries; it is second behind Schlumberger and is followed by Saipan, Weatherford International, and Baker Hughes. The company also offers a variety of products and services to upstream oil and gas customers worldwide through fourteen product service lines: Artificial Lift, Cementing, Completion Tools, Multi-Chem, Pipeline & Process Services, Production Enhancement, Production Solutions, Baroid, Drill Bits & Services, Landmark Software & Services, Sperry Drilling, Testing & Subsea, Wireline & Perforating, and Consulting & Project Management.
Did you like Halliburton's Revenue Breakdown Worldwide statistic?
Access more such key performance indicator (KPI) data points, on thousands of US stocks, with Business Quant.


Too Young / Old To Breed?
I'd imagine that our experiences have partly been a consequence of where we reside. It tends to be inhabited by individuals who have moved out of London to settle down, but still need to easily get to the capital. As such, and as per the ONS quote above, a career can often be seen as the priority, with kids being delayed until the biological clock has nearly ticked its last tock. In other areas of the UK – and I'm including where I was born in this – getting a partner, settling down and having a kid tends to be the norm for those that don't go on to Further Education, thus teenage parents is quite common place.
There's obviously no right or wrong when it comes to age and parenthood (with the obvious caveat being those under 16-years-old!) but I find it interesting that in Scunthorpe we would be old parents, yet we are young where we live now.


Inky Addict---Pink Owl Creations: ARE YOU READY FOR DECEMBER DAILY?
ARE YOU READY FOR DECEMBER DAILY?
Being November 26th, in a perfect world I would be posting my December Daily inspirations, ideas and set up for this year. The last few months have been unreal…all I can do is laugh. Sometimes life just has a way of doing its own thing (where did the summer go?).
paper collection, I purchased it in September…whew…good thing!
stamp sets and inks, again…using what I got!
album, again…purchased it during a mega sale months ago, whew!
I think this week I will have a few spare moments to gather everything and start preparing. Of course, I must clean up the disaster from the Halloween crafting madness...majority that I never even had time posting, ugh!
I must say it again this year – thank you Ali Edwards for the idea. Each year I love taking the time daily to slow down and remember what is important.
Want more info on December Daily? Check out her page here .
Are you doing December Daily? Is this your first year or one of several? Do you do the 25 days leading up to Christmas or do you do the whole month? What color combo are you doing this year?


Over the last year, I have had several hundred people paint with me, first in our living room - we would push all the furniture out of the way, then out in Birdsong Studio. I've also painted with different work groups and participants at Mindcamp, Canada's creativity conference. I think I've benefited from the paint night wave that has seemingly swept in from out of nowhere, though what I do is a little different.
Essentially, I guide the participants through my process, getting them to the point where they are able to draw the subject onto the canvas and begin adding colour. While I do step in and help when asked, by and large, participants go on a very individual journey. The resulting work has a profound effect on me as an artist and as a human being.
Last night, Maryse (left) and Kim (right) joined me in the studio. Kim had popped in previously; for Maryse, it was her first time painting.
In her two excursions into colour, Kim has found both her voice and her palette.
Maryse accepted a few minutes of my help mid-project, then took it to an amazing finish.
I've become convinced that as human beings, we all have creative instincts. All I do as the facilitator is create a space where the person is given a reasonably easy path to follow to get to the point where they can add colour to canvas in a way that is rather freeing and fun. Sure, there are moments of stress and self-doubt, especially when they first put paint to canvas. But, eventually they settle in and find themselves in somewhat of a meditative state.
If you've been following along, waiting for the right moment to try out this activity, perhaps the time has come. I'll be setting up in the McMurray Experience at Jubilee Plaza on Saturday morning as part of the Empty Bowls Festival in support of the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association. For a minimum $50 donation to the Food Bank, you can get one of the spots and join me in painting for a few hours.
I'm setting up to begin at 11 am, but if you want to arrive any time in that first hour, I'll be happy to get you started. We're supplying everything you need; all you have to do is arrive with your minimum $50 pledge for the Food Bank.
You can pre-register to save a spot by sending me an email at russell.thomas@birdsongconnections.com or a text at 780-881-3752.


One of the many Davids in Florence. This David stands 16 feet tall.
Florence was a quick 1 and 1/2 hours train ride from Milan and a wonderful way to spend my last full day in Italy. Florence is all about David, the Duomo , art and shopping.
Of course, I also found other distractions.
The Piazza della Signora is home to The Fountain of Neptune which dates back to 1565.
Art comes in all forms in the Piazzas.
Palazzo Vecchio, built in 1299, now a town hall and museum, previously by a few hundred years, the ruling family's palace.
This would be an interesting piece to add to my patio.
Florence canines come in various colors and enjoy tourist watching.
The McDonalds in Florence includes beer in it's choice of refreshments!
Though this was the better shot of the Duomo in Florence..
This shot was a more accurate depiction of the day – rainy and packed full of tourists bumping umbrellas with each step.
The Duomo ( Santa Marie del Fiore/ Saint Mary of the Flowers Cathedral), Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile (Bell Tower) in Florence are beautiful and these dreary day photos don't do them justice. The Cathedral was built from 1294 – 1436, the baptistery built from 1059 – 1128 and the Bell Tower in 1359. As you can see these buildings were built very close to each other. Sadly, the lines for entering these buildings were sooooo long, allllll day long, that I was never able to see the inside.
Despite the on-going rain, I was, however, able to soak up the views (no pun intended) of the Ponte Vecchio. This "Old Bridge" spans the Arno River and was built in 1345, which replaced the prior bridge. Small houses/workshops are built on the bridge, which was common practice in the Middle Ages. Some of the houses also have extensions that hang over the river. In 1565, Duke Medici built a corridor at the top of the bridge so that he would not have to walk on the crowed bridge or with the commoners. In 1593 Duke Ferdinand I replaced all of the houses/ workshops with gold smiths because they did not produce as much garbage or foul stench as the previous shopkeepers. Today the houses on the bridge are all jewelry/antique shops and jammed full of tourists. The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence, even surviving WWII.
Parting shot across the Arno River.
Another stop on the tour was "The Galleria"- which is a grand gallery/glass domed shopping mall that was built between 1865 and 1877. It is the oldest shopping mall in the world.
Yes, it does feel grand to walk through the mall, even though it is full of out-of-my-budget shops and restaurants.
The photos hardly due it justice, especially since I am trying to shoot over the heads of swarms of people inside. But it gives you an idea.
While shopping at the Galleria, legend has it that for good luck, you should stop at the bull and spin the heel of your foot on his testicles.
My favorite Italian meal – Alottagelato – with pizza on the side.
Delizioso ! A piece of heaven in Italy.
I am now back to home, sweet home, but I still want to share with you my adventures in Italy. My home base was Milan with its wealth of attractions and an easy to navigate Metro system to provide inexpensive transportation.
Milan is best known for it's fashion…..
and it's economic capital of Italy.
Method of personal common transportation – tiny cars ( this one was parked on the sidewalk) and..
hundreds of these "motociclo" buzzing in, out and between traffic like annoying bees.
Food is a very popular part of Italy — – -no simple chocolate chip cookie to be found here.
Typical Milan building facades and adornments are quite impressive.
Space is at a premium , and this church, makes the most of it's corner lot.
Many street artists can be found at the local " piazza" but I found this "art" to be especially unique.
Lastly, the bird of the day, is the Hooded Crow, a common bird found all over Europe.


text:
Why a clean water rule may — or may not — be a big issue in Minnesota's First Congressional District
By Walker Orenstein | 09/26/2018
REUTERS/Jim Young
Kirby Hettver, president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association: "The overwhelming topic right now that is on every producer's mind is trade."
As farmers in southern Minnesota grapple with President Donald Trump's escalating trade war — testing the alliance between the agriculture industry and the GOP that substantially benefited Trump in 2016 — First Congressional District Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn is making sure to showcase the administration's industry-friendly policies as part of his effort to persuade voters to send him to Congress.
That means highlighting support for mining in northern Minnesota, including the recent decision to end a study of potential impact from copper-nickel mining on the Superior National Forest and the neighboring Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
But it also includes touting a Trump administration effort that hits much closer to home in southern Minnesota: the rollback of a 2015 update to the Clean Water Act that expanded protections to small bodies of water feeding larger rivers and lakes — a policy that happened to be one of President Barack Obama's signature environmental initiatives.
"It's one of the biggest regulatory issues in agriculture," Hagedorn said. "I bring it up all the time."
A fight over water protections
The Obama EPA's 2015 rule change has a long backstory. It starts more than 40 years ago, when Congress first approved the Clean Water Act. That original bill gave the federal government jurisdiction over the "waters of the United States."
Ever since, people have not stopped arguing what that actually means, and how broad the government's authority is under the law. Does it apply only to lakes and rivers and water that feeds directly into them? Or does the law cover even small wetlands, bogs, streams and other isolated or seasonal bits of water?
Supreme Court rulings on the matter have never quite cleared things up, so under Obama, the EPA stepped in to make firm — and far-reaching — guidelines on what could be considered a Water of the United States. John Kolb, a St. Cloud-based attorney who focuses on water and natural resources regulations, says a long study conducted by the EPA used to justify its rule boiled down to: "All water is connected."
Many farmers took issue with the decision, however. Beyond their general opposition to government expansion, industry groups said the rule change meant they were going to be targeted and penalized for standard agricultural practices. Kirby Hettver, president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, said farmers out West were found in violation of Obama-era Clean Water Act "just for tilling their soil."
He was referring to a case that began in 2012 in which the government ordered a farmer in Northern California, John Duarte, to pay millions in fines and penalties after it said he broke the law by "deep ripping" his field to plant wheat without a permit, and disturbing seasonal wetlands called vernal pools that are notably home to fairy shrimp. (While there are plenty of agricultural exemptions to the Clean Water Act, the government said the field wasn't subject to them since it hadn't been plowed in decades. The case was eventually settled.)
While Duarte's legal saga started before Obama's update to the Clean Water Act, it became a rallying cry for conservatives worried about government overreach, a charge that found a sympathetic reception within the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the EPA withdrew the rule and is now in the process of writing a more narrow definition of which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act.
Effect in Minnesota
And yet, whether any of this means much for Minnesota remains a topic of debate. One reason is that despite the Trump EPA's withdrawal of Obama's Waters of the United States rule, litigation has reinstituted the Obama rule in more than 20 states, including Minnesota.
For another, Minnesota administers much of the Clean Water Act for itself, and it adopted its own stringent definition of protected waters decades ago, said Jean Coleman, an attorney for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In fact, Minnesota's rule is far broader than the Obama-era water rule, and includes everything from irrigation and drainage systems to all "accumulations of water, surface or underground, natural or artificial, public or private," within the state, she said.
"The definition of 'Waters of the State' is extremely expansive and it captures all waters that would be under the Obama definition of 'Waters of the U.S.' or under any other definition of 'Waters of the U.S.' because it is so expansive," Coleman said.
She added: "I don't think you can think of anything that's liquid water that falls from the sky that's not a water of the state."
The state also has its own tough laws protecting wetlands and more, said Scott Strand, senior attorney for the Environmental Law and Policy Center, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group. Those laws blunt any given update or reversal of the federal Waters of the United States rule. "It will have a more dramatic impact in states that don't have vigorous state clean water protections," Strand said of the changes to the Waters of the United States rule.
Yet Kolb, the St. Cloud attorney, said he believes the federal rule still has some impact in Minnesota because there are areas of water permitting where the federal government still has jurisdiction. He also said that the "abundance of isolated wetlands" in southwestern Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas — areas that fall squarely under jurisdiction of Obama's Waters of the United States rule, he said — mean the rule change impacted the region probably more "than anywhere else in the country."
A winning issue?
Whatever its effect, Hagedorn has seized upon the Obama clean water rule as campaign fodder. In his most recent television advertisement, released Tuesday, he walks through a farm field promising to help Trump "rip out the regulations."
Hagedorn has also tried to tie his opponent, DFLer Dan Feehan — who served under Obama as a White House Fellow and later as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense — to the policy.
But Feehan hasn't exactly been a passionate defender of Obama's Waters of the United States rule. In an interview with MinnPost, he called the EPA rulemaking a "failure of Washington" and said Congress should write a new rule with input from those being regulated. Many conservative and agriculture groups have also called for congressional intervention.
Feehan also said the agriculture industry is far more concerned with low commodity prices and Trump's trade disputes, which have led to tariffs on products farmer sell abroad, than with the water rule. China and Mexico have tariffs on pork products in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on material including steel and aluminum. Corn and soybean prices have been affected by trade disputes, too. Those are Minnesota's two biggest agricultural exports.
"Ask any farmer today in the middle of this trade war how business friendly this administration is now," Feehan said.
MinnPost photo by Sam Brodey
Congressional candidates Jim Hagedorn and Dan Feehan at a FarmFest forum earlier this summer.
Kevin Paap, president of Minnesota's Farm Bureau, whose political action committee has endorsed Hagedorn, said the group has been against the Obama-era Clean Water Act change and has appreciated tax cuts and policies championed by the GOP.
That said, "it is trade I hear about each and every day from our members," Paap added. "I don't think that we're going to this time around … have people in agriculture voting just on taxes and regulation," he said.
Hettver, of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, echoed Paap's assessment. "The overwhelming topic right now that is on every producer's mind is trade," Hettver said.
While Hettver said his association doesn't make endorsements, he noted their group would prefer a better trade situation rather than the agriculture bailout approved by Trump.
And though Hagedorn has defended Trump's trade policies, saying tariffs were creating "temporary" downsides that would prove beneficial in the long run, Hettver said he wasn't positive many in the agriculture industry will make the same calculation. He named trade and the so-far unfinished farm bill Congress is mulling as the top two issues on the mind of ag voters as they head to the polls.
"The true test of that question is going to be in November," he said.
Walker Orenstein
Walker Orenstein covers the environment and workforce issues for MinnPost. He previously covered state government and politics for The (Tacoma) News Tribune. A St. Paul native, he is a graduate of the University of Washington. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.
Climate change is affecting crop yields and reducing global food supplies
St. Paul joins Minnesota cities planning for action on climate change
Amid a million coming extinctions, some reasons for hope: A Q&A with the U of M's Kate Brauman
Earth Journal
New outlook on global warming: Best prepare for social collapse, and soon


It's not every day I get to witness two happy endings come together in such a beautiful way, but this was one of those days.
Later the girls were laughing and playing and Shayla leaned over to Selena and whispered, "Do you have a dad, too?" Selena replied, "Yes, his name is Ted." Shayla smiled as wide as a mile and said "That is good!" It may seem like a little thing—a short conversation—nothing earth shattering to most people.
When I first came to the campus as a foster care worker in January of 2016, I met both of these girls and was introduced to their house parents and residential social workers. During the first few months, we got together as a team to talk about a plan for moving these sweet girls from residential care to a foster home. Things were difficult for the girls because of their young age and their behavior. We knew they needed families of their own. Shayla and her brother moved first but were returned to residential care after just a couple of months by their foster family. It was a devastating blow for the entire team; however, as usual, God was working behind the scenes on a perfect plan.
While this was happening, I was teaching a PATH (Parents as Tender Healers) class at Bellevue Baptist Church and met two amazing couples, the Fraziers and the McFanns. I felt like I had found the perfect family for Shayla and her brother Marcus, and Selena.
The Fraziers were the first to complete their home study and during the entire process we were all praying about placing Shayla and Marcus. The McFanns finished shortly afterwards and also began praying about Selena moving to their home. Both families started with weekend visits. It was clear God was moving in a mighty way for both of these girls. The story is far longer and more complicated than it sounds, but Selena was adopted on November 18: National Adoption Day! Shayla and Marcus are right behind.
This is what TBCH is all about: working as a team in the lives of kids to be a piece of God's excellent plan!


Find out which of the 2018 Honda Accord trims has the features you're looking for here, and then make it to Airport Marina Honda to check it out in both sedan and coupe configurations.
Even the accord base trim comes with the Honda Sensing® suite, as well as the comfort and convenience of dual-zone automatic climate control, push button start, and a multi-angle rearview camera.
Upgrade to the Sport for the increased connectivity of Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, as well as bigger wheels, a power driver's seat, and special sport features like sport pedals and a rear spoiler.
The EX moves you up to a power moonroof, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), and heated front seats, as well as a high-resolution eight-inch touchscreen. The EX-L adds leather upholstery, a 450-watt 10-speaker sound system, and much more.
At the top of the trim lineup, the Touring comes with the comfort of an adaptive damper system, ventilated fornt seats, and heated rear seats, as well as a head-up display, wireless phone charger, and integrated mobile Wi-Fi.
The fully redesigned version of Honda's popular midsize sedan, often rivaled by the Toyota Camry, is available right now at Airport Marina Honda, serving all your Honda needs at 5850 West Centinela Ave in Los Angeles, CA. We're open seven days a week, and you can reach us online or give us a call at (888) 381-0444.


A Margaret River presentation with very dark purple appearance in the glass and a nose of ginger, plum, clove and vanilla. On the palate, youthful and bursting with blue fruits and plums. The mid palate shows off some wood notes and much more meaty plums. Mid range tannins and a very slight acidity make it an easy drinker right off the bat. $12, 88 points and 3 stars. Salut….


There are various ways to quit smoking. Some methods work for some people, whereas, for others, it does not. Here are the most effective ways to quit smoking.
You should first make the decision of quitting smoke firmly. You should be well prepared so that you don't lose the motivation down the line. You must tell your friends and family that you are quitting. This way they will encourage you all the time. You should remove cigarettes and ashtrays from home, work, car, and other places where you might smoke. Find out what triggers you to smoke and decide how you will deal with them.
A counselor will have several sessions with you and find ways not to smoke. The counselor will help to identify your triggers like situations that encourage you to smoke. He or she will give you the plan to get through your cravings.
Nicotine, replacement therapy includes nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and sprays. They give you nicotine without tobacco. This plan works best when you do behavioral therapy along with it.
You can use a combination of treatment methods to help you quit smoking. There are some medicines also that the doctor prescribes so that you can quit smoking. The earlier you decide to quit smoking, the better. It may cause irreparable damage to your health if you delay. So, have a strong determination that you are going to quit smoking and stick to the treatment method you want to use.
Smoking has a lot of negative consequences in our lives. People around the world have started to quit smoking. Here are the reasons why you should think of getting rid of your smoking habit too.
Smoking causes lung cancer. They also damage your teeth. There are many health concerns. It affects many parts of your body. Nicotine is addictive, and it can change your brain. There is hearing loss and sight loss. Mouth sores and gum diseases are common in smokers. The face of a smoker loses elasticity, so people age faster. Smoking affects the heart and stomach as well.
Smoking is expensive A pack a day of cigarette will cost you $500 a month. If you quit smoking, you will be able to save a lot of money. You can use that money for better things like taking a vacation.
A smoker clearly shows a lack of self-control. The more you smoke, the more the things get out of hand. You become weak, and this will be obvious in the other works you do throughout the day.
When you quit smoke, you will breathe deeper. You will inhale pure air, and your lungs will be in better condition. When you smoke, the lung capillaries get constricted. After you quit smoking, it will grow back to full size. It will stay absorbing more oxygen.
When you smoke, it leaves a strong flavor in your mouth throughout the day. So, the food you eat doesn't taste that good. It makes sense of taste somewhat dull. You constantly have the smell of tobacco in your nose so you cannot smell the food properly as well.
All these are strong reasons to quit smoking. Smoking cigarettes not only help you but also lets your family members be healthy. You can promote a healthy living environment by quitting this bad habit.


In his commentary "A capital market's view on Industrial Biotechnology", Bernd Schneider takes a look at White Biotechnology and its perception at the stock markets. Especially concerning the latter, the author compares White Biotechnology with its red counterpart. Finally, he gives an outlook on the future of Industrial Biotechnology.
The contribution to the Research Section provides a systematic approach for obtaining an overview of a large amount of selected patents. In their article "Assessment of thermal-stable polymer nanocomposite techniques by patent citation network analysis", Hsin-Ning Su and Pei-Chun Lee use basic patents statistics, technology-function and standard industrial classification. Adding patent citation and network properties calculation, they bridge the gap between patented techniques and business management activities.
Kaisa Soirinsuo, Elina Kähkönen, Jouko Karjalainen and Katrina Nordström present a study that evaluates the need for new Active Ingredient development. In their article "Feasibility of Active Ingredient (AI) development for new biocides in the EU", the authors take a closer look at the effects of EU regulations on future market opportunities of biocides.
Finally, Jürgen Peukert and Thomas Fuggenthaler discuss the possibility of pharmaceutical companies to supply even poor parts of the globe with medicinal products. In their contribution "How to implement 'access to medicine' AND enhance economic performance", the authors argue that this socially desirable project can also be beneficial from the economic point of view.
Concurrently with the preparations for the third issue, we revised and relaunched our website to follow the recently revamped print layout. Both versions (print and web) of the JoBC are now going hand in hand again. The new homepage does not only convince with its appearance but also with new features. Among others, the search function now enables the reader to look for keywords in all articles. We hope that the new website will improve your convenience reading the JoBC. Finally, we want to thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) for their financial support, which gave us the opportunity to initiate and complete this project.
Now, please enjoy reading the third issue of the sixth volume of the JoBC. We would like to thank all authors and reviewers who have contributed to this new issue. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to send us an email at contact[at]businesschemistry.org.


This is my 3rd Selle Italia . First one a SLRbroke a Chrome mollly rail after over 20K miles. The second, a Selle Italia gelflo, the stitching came loose and the leather was pealing back after about 10k miles. I bought this from Chain Reaction on clearance. It has TI rails and some carbon fiber in the body, I don't think that saves much weight, but it is a very light saddle . After 4, 3+ hour rides I'm very pleased with it. It has a lot less cushion than the gelflo, but it's just as comfortable if not more.


When it comes to properties, we strive to work for the benefit of landlords and tenants alike. Managing both single and multi-let properties across the South, we have helped families, students, and experienced tenants find the right place to live. Being one of the most revered businesses specialising in HMO management Portsmouth has to offer, we are the people to call if you're looking for a new home.
One of the most vital aspects of a HMO is the contract. Yet, (despite them being essential in the world of renting) an alarming number of landlords don't issue a contract to their tenants. If you happen to belong to a landlord association of some kind, it's possible to download agreements from the applicable website.
Every drawn up agreement must be guaranteed shorthold tenancies and even though a tenant can request shorter terms, landlords are required to provide a six-month fixed term at minimum. Any tenant wishing to leave needs to supply their landlord with one month's notice. Should the landlord wish for their tenants to vacate the property, a two-month's notice must be served, or alternatively, a Section 21 notice must be given.
Any landlord that doesn't impart a contract is setting themselves up for future complications. These agreements can lay specific rules and regulations out, which need to be followed. This includes the rent payments, maintenance details, and tenancy periods. Even in the absence of a written agreement however, tenants are covered under a verbal agreement, and shall be safeguarded against illicit evictions.
At T1property, our team of investors and landlords have over 30 years combined experience in the property industry, meaning we know a fair share about protecting investments. Whenever there is a development, we make it a point to keep everyone informed. This way, we're all on the same page and no one is left in the dark.
If you would like to know more about what we can do for you, you're free to contact us anytime. We choose to be the only dedicated HMO specialist Portsmouth has because we understand the challenges and opportunities that HMOs offer. We are happy to share our experience with each and every client.


The traditional views on the compression or extension regime with a shear component dominant in the Earth's crust are usually opposed to each other, being considered in the context of different geodynamic structure formation settings. The classification of transpression and transtension regimes that determine the formation of strikeslip faults  represents the most illustrative example of such an approach. This communication demonstrates the inconsistency of kinematics of transpression and transtension "flower models" with real 3D models available for strikeslip fault zones . The study of shear zones based on interpretation of 3D seismic exploration data in differentage sedimentary basins of the Earth reveals their formation under conditions of pure shear with simultaneous compression and extension in mutually orthogonal sections. The comparative analysis reveals that transpression and transtension models are less useful than 3D models illustrating the geological structure of sedimentary basins. Consequently, recent views on the mode of crust deformation and structural parageneses of shear zones reflecting past concepts of flat (twodimensional) geological thinking are incomplete and need to be revised. The main thesis postulated in this work is the assertion of the simultaneous action of the volumetric irregularly strained state reflected in three main types of geological medium deformations (compression–extension–shear) in mutually orthogonal sections of crustal structures during their formation.


The role of the regulator in a developed or in a developing market involves developing, implementing and promoting a consistent set of regulation, providing oversight and enforcement in order to protect all investors, maintain fair, efficient and transparent markets, and addressing any systemic risks that may exist in the market from time to time.
In order to achieve these the regulator should have operational independence and accountability in the exercise of its powers and functions and observe the highest professional standards and demonstrate competence. The regulator therefore should not overstep the responsibility instead allow the markets to evolve within the accepted parameters and support business growth.
The ever-increasing cost of compliance is often a big challenge for most small time businesses to grow and expand. The regulator would therefore need to continuously educate the SMEs about the benefits of listing and about the capital markets, because compliance has a cost but the benefits of listing overweight those costs. It is actually lack of awareness of opportunities that prevent most companies coming to the market.
The regulator should also continue to promote more liquidity for potential foreign investors to attract more FDI into the country. The approach could be twofold.
a) Make it mandatory for public listed companies to maintain a minimum public float. This is expected to release more closely held stocks to the market and a strategy to promote more IPOs into the market targeting a large number of successful but non listed companies.
b) While they encourage more companies to list they also need to support the two corporate director training programs initiated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Institute of Directors to build capacity in the boardroom to safeguard the interest of the public and the investor.
The regulator should study the rules imposed by regional counterparts related to independent directors to assess what initiatives are required in this area.
1.Strengthening the broker back office system through harmonisation amongst the brokering houses by using the latest technology.
2.Enhancing capital market education and improving financial literacy in the sector.
3.Introduction of a central counter party CCP system which is critical to broad base the product portfolio.
4.Changes to the SEC act to further fine-tune the regulatory framework where major emphasis would be to provide civil and administrative enforcement powers.
5.Create a framework to boost the unit trust industry.
6.Facilitate derivatives and expand the bond products, introducing ETF, introducing REITS, etc.
7.Initiative to increase the number of listed companies in the market; currently around 290+.
8.A clear strategy to attract new investors both local and foreign to expand the capital markets.


In the quiet corners of the globe, four strangers, a cynical American programmer, an aging Japanese priest, a troubled Arabic mercenary and a mysterious Fijian girl, receive a series of chilling apocalyptic visions. Desperate to understand their frightening visions of the future, these four troubled souls are simultaneously drawn to a dark city in the West where their fates, and the fate of the world, are revealed to be linked together and somehow part of a global conspiracy. Amidst an epic struggle of man, machine and otherworldly fear, these reluctant heroes must be willing to sacrifice everything...in order to know the truth and save us all!
At Anime.com, we're all for people who are willing to "roll their own" anime films and make something that's a personal vision and breaks the boundaries of "standard" entertainment. Broken Saints is the creation of three impoverished artists in Canada who had an idea back in 2001 to create a web-comic based on the then emerging technology of Flash.
Visually stunning, masterfully told, viscerally thrilling; Broken Saints is a controversial and critically acclaimed graphic novel saga that fuses anime stylings, comic book text, cinematic effects and music into a revolutionary multimedia experience of modern storytelling.
Its animatic style of limited animation keeps to its graphic novel origins and also contributes a great deal to its creepiness. By looking so unreal, the viewer allows himself to suspend disbelief and be swept up in the storyline.
The DVD set contains over 10 hours of material, as well as a plethora of extras (including a "making of" film where you realize it is all produced in an underlit, cinderblock industrial basement) that will keep you entertained, and, hopefully, will introduce you to a new kind of storytelling experience.
Below: Scenes from Broken Saints.


The rap trio brought holiday cheer to Canal Street with their toy-drive that saw all donations and proceeds raised for Camba, a non-profit which connects 45,000 New Yorkers to quality of life services.
Over the course of eight years, Flatbush Zombies has become one of the best known names in independent rap, known for lucid, rapid-fire lyrics, a diehard fan base, and rabidly energetic live sets–a dying breed of performance as more hip-hop artists turn to rapping over pre-recorded vocals. Erick Arc Elliott, Meechy Darko, and Zombie Juice embrace their status as mainstream rap outsiders and a mobilizing force for good.
So, on the afternoon of November 28, a line of Zombie's fans braved the cold to wait outside the entrance of the Kid Super pop-up on Canal Street. For rest of the afternoon and into the evening, plastic Transformers, stuffed animals, action figures, and baby dolls poured in for the Zombies' Boxes over Baghdad Toy Drive and Holiday Show. "Let's Warm Up Someone Less Fortunate's Holiday Season," the flyer announced.
Everyone who brought an unwrapped gift received a ticket to the Zombies' holiday concert on December 12, and all three members stayed for the entirety of the event to greet them, receiving the toys and speaking with the fans who stopped by–Erick in a red Santa hat.
From left: Erick Arc Elliot, Meechy Darko, Kid Super, and Zombie Juice. Photography by Nigel Zweibrock.
By the end of the drive, which extended past the 6pm end time, over 200 fans had brought toys, all to be donated to Camba, a non-profit founded in Flatbush which connects 45,000 New Yorkers to quality of life services (including housing, education, and health services) every year.
Since the toy drive, the Zombies have opened more tickets to the holiday show–all net proceeds will also be donated to Camba. Teasing an upcoming project for 2019, Erick said he has ambitions for himself and the Zombies that extend beyond their next album.
"I want to be someone people respect outside music, outside just the mic. I'd love to teach. I'd love to pass knowledge in other ways," he said.


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StanChart Appoints New Head Of Global Banking In Singapore
#Singapore News Singapore
Tanya Aneja Thursday, February 14th 2019
Standard Chartered Bank announced yesterday that it has hired Chow Wan Thonh as its head of global banking, Singapore. She will report to Bharat Padmanabhan, Regional Head of Global Banking, ASEAN and South Asia, and Patrick Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore.
Chow Wan Thonh is a Singaporean and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@HSBC_SG
She has over 25 years of banking experience and has held a number of leadership roles developing and driving business across transaction banking, capital markets and strategic advisory for corporate and institutional clients.
She joined Standard Chartered from HSBC, where she was the Head of Global Banking, Singapore and Head of Corporates, Financials, and Multinational Banking for Southeast Asia. She succeeds Mr Patrick Lee, who became the CEO of the Bank's Singapore franchise in July 2018 while continuing to head the Global banking business before a successor was named.
She joined Standard Chartered from HSBC, where she was the Head of Global Banking, Singapore and Head of Corporates, Financials, and Multinational Banking for Southeast Asia. Photo courtesy: Wikimedia
In her role as Head of Global Banking, Singapore, Wan Thonh will be responsible for driving and executing the strategy for the business and deepening relationships with the Bank's corporate and institutional clients in the city-state to maximise business growth opportunities and enhance client experience.
"Singapore is a core market for the Bank.With her in-depth knowledge of the client segment and solid track record in driving team performance, I am confident that Wan Thonh will lead our team in Singapore to deliver strong results and build sustainable value for our clients,"said Patrick Lee, Chief Executive Officer,Standard Chartered Bank.
Wan Thonh is a Singaporean and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.
SMEs in Singapore to focus on productivity in 2020: UOB survey
Maybank Kim Eng cuts 5 per cent of Singapore manpower
SBI opens remittance centre in Singapore
Choosing the right partners and projects will determine your success in India: Amit Sinha of DBS
DBS named world's best bank by Global Finance magazine
OCBC launches robo-investing tool, a first in Southeast Asia


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Head of Continuous Improvement - Wakefield
Head of Continuous Improvement Jobs
There is no such thing as the perfect business. Every hour, inefficiencies and bad practice are going on without the owners' knowledge, or the owners know they exist but are powerless to act. This is where the head of continuous improvement comes in. It is an analytical role that constantly audits every business process and looks for inefficiencies that can be ironed out. Depending on the size of the company, this can be a one-person job, heading up a small team or employing dozens of auditors to make the business better.
But it's not just about the money – not directly, anyway. Often, an improvement is simply one that helps staff with their work and removes those irritations and bureaucracy that reduces job satisfaction. Sometimes it's an environmental improvement that doesn't have obvious financial implications but can have longer-term benefits. Improvement takes many forms, and once the head of continuous improvement has got under the skin of the company and found out exactly how it operates, it's inevitable that the financial benefits will follow.
The job of head of continuous improvement has two main strands – analyzing the financial matters and seeking out other procedural activities that can be improved. You will need to be prepared to get your hands dirty (sometime literally) by delving into the business, talking to employees, observing and measuring the way people work and researching alternative methodologies that can create efficiencies.
The head of continuous improvement may sometimes need to make unpopular decisions, for example choosing to outsource elements of the business or making it less top-heavy if inefficiencies are identified. While the final decision will be made by the board, you must have the confidence in your convictions to make such recommendations. Of course, the opposite is also true, and your recommendations could lead to the growth of the company. As long as you have performed detailed analyses, you will be able to present accurate projections to the board.
Find Head of Continuous Improvement Jobs with Cast UK
Most businesses realise that they are sitting on inefficiencies and bad practice, but the best businesses do something proactive about it, and it's these forward-looking businesses who come to Cast UK to help them find a head of continuous improvement. Because it falls under one of our specialisms, change and transformation, we can usually supply them with a shortlist of candidates in double quick time.
We only deal with recruitment of managerial and executive level candidates, so if you have the qualifications and the experience to become a head of continuous improvement for one of the UK's top companies, call Cast UK today on 0333 121 3345.
Head of Continuous Improvement Jobs in Wakefield
Wakefield is a city just south of Leeds that comprises the five towns of Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton, Featherstone and Knottingley, as well as other minor towns. With a population of around 325,000, it's a moderately sized city that is overshadowed by its northern neighbour and Sheffield, which is 20 miles (31 km) to the south. Wakefield is well connected by rail and road, with the M62 and the M1 passing by its north and west respectively.
The city and its constituent towns boomed during the Industrial Revolution when vast seams of coal were discovered beneath them. The area dug hundreds of mines and this remained the key industry in the area until the 1980s when they were closed down one by one. The last remaining one is Kellingley Colliery, located at Knottingley, just east of Pontefract.
The city remains industrial, however, although the days of heavy industry are largely gone. The city's excellent communications and central location have made it an ideal place to site warehouses, factories and distribution centres, so Head of Continuous Improvement jobs regularly appear in the Wakefield area. There are also regeneration projects going on in the city designed to diversify and stimulate the economy, and this looks set to bring further growth to an area that has had to reinvent itself completely in thirty years.
Cast UK - helping you with your job search
With a wealth of experience in the procurement, logistics and supply chain fields, Cast UK's team of recruitment consultants understands what it takes to be a successful candidate for every vacancy. To find out about the Head of Continuous Improvement positions available in Wakefield, or anywhere else in the country, get in touch with us today. We work with clients and applicants from across the country, and are committed to filling each position with the best talent possible.
In addition, our regional specialists can provide detailed information about the potential employers, the available job types and the average salary that you can expect to earn.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you find and recruit candidates within Wakefield or source a new job in Wakefield then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
Related Head of Continuous Improvement jobs in Wakefield


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Yodel delivers Scunthorpe woman's Bluetooth speaker through open window – straight into toilet
Rebeka Alam said "it could only happen to me" after a parcel delivered through a side window landed in a toilet
Sophie Norris
Throwing a Bluetooth speaker through an open window did not end well (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A Scunthorpe woman felt like her money had been flushed down the toilet after a delivery driver dropped off her parcel in a very inconvenient spot.
Rebeka Alam had ordered a new Bluetooth speaker and was notified that delivery company Yodel had dropped it off while she was at work.
The 21-year-old was handed a note when she returned home that the parcel had been dropped through "the open window [at the] side of the house."
However, Rebeka knew that window was for her bathroom.
Despite hoping that the toilet seat was down, she discovered that the Bluetooth speaker had in fact landed right in it and had been ruined by the water.
Rebeka says she contacted Yodel to complain but they told her to contact the speaker's seller instead.
The package was dropped through an "open window at side of house" which led to the bathroom... (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"I've seen stories, I've heard stories, but never as bad as it landing in the toilet. It could only happen to me," Rebeka said.
"I got an email from Yodel saying that they'd successfully delivered my parcel so I thought maybe my mum was home.
"The card said 'through the open window at the side of the house'. I automatically knew where that was going to be.
Mum's warning after Amazon delivery 'ruins Christmas' for her daughter
"When we go out we don't tend to keep any windows open, other than a tiny toilet window at the side of the house. [The bathroom] doesn't have a fan so we keep the window ajar."
By the time she got home, Rebeka's mum's partner had already fished the rogue parcel out of the toilet.
She gave it time to dry before opening the package and discovering the extent of the water damage.
The open window which a determined delivery person managed to get the package through (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Rebeka, of Scunthorpe, said: "He went straight to the toilet to check if it had missed the loo or if the lid was down, and unfortunately it wasn't. Therefore the parcel landed directly in the toilet.
"Not on the side, not on the cabinets - straight in the toilet.
"It was a Bluetooth speaker that was in a box with plastic wrap around it but it was facing down and an electrical item, so we had to leave it to dry. I didn't want to touch it straight away.
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"I waited a few hours then I opened it. The box was soaking wet and the speaker was wet, so I was a bit nervous about turning it on.
"There was water all over the speaker. The value wasn't excessive but that's not the point. It's the principle.
The package landed in the toilet after being delivered through the open window (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"The speaker [didn't work properly when I first tried it] but to be honest I've not tried it since because I didn't want to risk it, with it being electrical."
Despite the problems with the delivery, Rebeka said Yodel advised her to contact the seller instead.
She said: "My first reaction was to call Yodel. I was on hold for a while and got through to a lady.
"[After] half an hour on the call, she said 'can I put you on hold', then she told me to scrap everything she said and that she'd given me the wrong information.
Rebeka Alam (left) was shocked to see what had happened to her new Bluetooth speaker (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"She said I had to go back to the seller, let them know the item is damaged and then they'd have to raise a complaint.
"From a seller's perspective I really hope they did because they could have lost money. I emailed [the seller], sent them the photos and they said they'd give me a refund."
A Cleethorpes customer received a surprise in the past when Yodel dumped their fragile parcel over a 6ft gate. The £104 plant in a terracotta pot was smashed to pieces after the indelicate delivery.
Have you had any similar experiences where delivery companies haven't delivered? Email jamie.waller@reachplc.co.uk
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Philharmonic's annual celebration of Beethoven features his towering masterpiece the Eroica Symphony Saturday, March 11, 2017, 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center.
Beethoven and Blue Jeans became an instant audience favorite for encouraging audiences to wear blue jeans, unheard of at classical music concerts when the concert started more than 15 years ago. Though times and traditions have since changed, Music Director Morihiko Nakahara is honoring the original, renegade spirit this season by including concertos for less heralded instruments: the piccolo and bandoneon. The concert is sponsored by Dr. Mary Baskin Waters & Mr. Samuel C. Waters.
Nakahara conducts as S.C. Phil piccolo player Jeana Melilli steps to the front of the stage to perform the Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto, and Emmanuel Trifilio brings Argentine flavor with Astor Piazzolla's Bandoneon Concerto. Mozart's overture from the opera Cosi fan tutte opens the evening, and it closes with a signature Beethoven work: his Eroica Symphony.
Nakahara presents the popular pre-concert lecture series Classical Conversations at 6:30 p.m. in the Koger Center auditorium, offering unique insight into the evening's program free to all ticket-holders.
Concert tickets start at $17. They are available online 24-hours a day at KogerCenterForTheArts.com, or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by phone at 803.251.2222 or at the Koger Center Box Office at Park and Greene streets. Student and military discounts are available. Self-parking is $10 and Southern Valet provides valet parking for $10.
Every season, since 2011, the S.C. Phil selects a group of charity partners from the Midlands to help raise awareness for their causes. Each charity is featured at one Masterworks concert during the season. The partner for this concert is Harvest Hope, in conjunction with Orchestras Feeding America 2017.
The League of American Orchestras first joined forces with Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, in 2009. More than 215 orchestras in all 50 states participated in an unprecedented, coordinated effort by collecting and donating food to their local food assistance agency or food bank within Feeding America's network of more than 200 food banks and 63,000 agencies – represented locally by Harvest Hope. Since then, 450 League member orchestras have participated in the annual effort.
The S.C. Phil – a participant in all eight OFA drives – encourages patrons to take non-perishable, unopened food items for a Harvest Hope collection site in the Koger Center lobby at the concert. Donors of cash or non-perishable goods receive a $10 appreciation voucher that can be applied to 2017/2018 Masterworks Series season subscriptions or individual-concert tickets in 2017.
Suggested items for donation are canned fruits, vegetables or meats; peanut butter; macaroni and cheese; tuna; beans; canned soups; pastas or cereals. Items in glass jars or bottles, dented items, perishable or homemade foods and non-food items will not be accepted. Learn more at HarvestHope.org.


text:
Q: bad URI(is not URI?): only in production using ruby 2.3, rails 4.1.7 deploying on heroku I tried to put in production my website.
But when my URI is called by the app, I have the following message
bad URI(is not URI?):
When I'm running the app on localhost it's working but when I running the app on production it doesn't work at all.
How can I solve this problème, I already tried :
uri = URI.parse(URI.encode(url.strip)) and other variable of this tips.
Thanks for your help.

A: I 'm trying to do that :
client = LemonWay::Client.new wsdl:  "https://ws.lemonway.fr/mb/xxx/dev/directkit/service.asmx?wsdl",
                              wl_login: "test",
                              wl_pass: "test",
                              language: "fr",
                              version: "1.1"
from this tuto https://github.com/lemonwaysas/ruby-client-directkit-string

A: Have you try wiht the default test's login and password
login : "society"
pwd: "123456"
http://documentation.lemonway.fr/api-en/introduction/test-environment-and-default-accounts
Also , I might need to check which format you expect to get  (xml, json...) from the directkit


text:
Marystown has big plans for a very big gift
Paul Herridge (paul.herridge@southerngazette.ca)
Published: May 14 at 12:32 p.m.
Updated: May 14 at 12:40 p.m.
A large and valuable collection of model ships, including those pictured here, has been donated to the Town of Marystown. - DAVID RICHARD MCCANN/FACEBOOK
Town planning 'ultra-modern' museum based around $1.5-million model boat collection donation, mayor says
MARYSTOWN, N.L. —
Some expensive model boats are headed to Marystown.
The Town of Marystown has accepted a collection of boats that had belonged to architect John Keith-King.
According to a Facebook post by David Richard McCann on May 8, he was asked by Keith-King's family to coordinate the donation of the boats to a museum.
McCann described himself as a good friend of Keith-King, who he said had died several years ago.
The collection is valued at $1.5-million, according to Marystown Mayor Sam Synard.
"These are world-class exhibits," Synard told The Southern Gazette.
Synard, who indicated he has been the town's main point person with respect to the donation, said he was contacted about the potential gift around four months ago and it went from there.
The model boats, now located in British Columbia, will arrive in Marystown over the summer, he said.
Museum plans
There are some valuable pieces in Keith-King's collection, according to the mayor.
A replica of the German battleship Bismarck is professionally appraised at $190,000, he said, while another of the British battlecruiser HMS Hood – sank by the Bismarck during the Second World War – is worth $150,000. The latter has a connection to the province, Synard said.
"When I started to do some research on it, there were 15 Newfoundlanders on the Hood who died," he said.
Synard told The Gazette he envisions the town eventually creating a museum to house the collection.
He even has a name in mind – the Marystown Maritime Museum – and believes the town shouldn't have any problems finding the funding necessary to construct a "really ultra-modern museum based on a marine museum concept."
As part of that, Synard said the idea is also to include the town's history of shipbuilding by tracking down replicas of each of the 50 or so vessels built at the Marystown Shipyard. For those that can't be found, he said models will be made.
"On the one hand we'll have an international display of model ships … and in that room, we'll have a model of every ship ever built in Marystown, as well as its history," Synard said.
Excluding places like The Rooms in St. John's, Synard said he foresees the attraction as being right up there with the best museums in the province.
"We really have got to accept this gift with a sense of respect and reverence and really make sure 50 years down the road someone else continues to enjoy (it)," he said.
paul.herridge@southerngazette.ca
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After SFMOMA cut film programs, former leader found her footing without leaving the city
Pam Grady December 6, 2022Updated: December 7, 2022, 7:51 am
Independent film curator Gina Basso at Blue Plate Restaurant in San Francisco. Basso, a former SFMOMA film curator, has put together a series for the Roxie on filmmaker Christine Choy, set to run Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 10-11. Photo: Salgu Wissmath / The Chronicle
San Francisco film curator Gina Basso's education started early in Elmhurst, Ill., her suburban Chicago hometown. Holed up in her brother's room, the two of them would watch whatever movies were available on cable. She remembers seeing "A Clockwork Orange" and Italian horror films when she was only 8 or 9. When she would host sleepovers, she would show the other little girls movies like Don Coscarelli's 1979 gorefest "Phantasm."
Years later, when Basso posted on Facebook about one of her programs at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she previously worked as manager of film programs, she heard from one of her childhood friends.
"I remember your sleepovers and I see you found the perfect job for you," the woman wrote.
"I think that's my start, the sleepover circuit," Basso said while laughing during a recent video call with The Chronicle. "I'm surprised anyone let their children hang out with me."
Basso began her tenure at SFMOMA as a program associate in 2008, working with both live presentations and cinema. In 2018, she became the museum's manager of film programs, a position she held until December 2021 when museum budget cuts ended the program that started in 1937.
After working on a project earlier this year at McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, Basso returns with "Articulate Emotion: Documentaries by Christine Choy" at the Roxie Theater. The series, running Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 10-11, showcases four of Choy's films. Basso will moderate a conversation with the filmmaker after the Dec. 11 screening of Choy's Oscar-winning "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" (1988), about the 1982 murder of a Chinese American automotive engineer in Detroit.
A scene from the Academy Award-winning documentary "Who Killed Vincent Chin?," screening Sunday, Dec. 11, as part of "Articulate Emotion: Documentaries by Christine Choy." Photo: Roxie Theater
Roxie programmer Rick Norris "and I talked about the Christine Choy series when there was an increase in violence and assaults against the Asian community," Basso said. "Christine Choy has been a real leader, using documentary film to show all of these disparities and teasing the underbelly of our country. (Her work) is not about focusing on the worst of it, but focusing on the real lives that it impacts."
The collaboration with the Roxie is one the theater had been actively seeking. Even when Basso was at SFMOMA, she maintained an independent curatorial practice, including partnerships with the Mission District movie house. Norris vividly remembers "This Must Be the Place," a survey of post-punk films curated by Basso and then-Roxie programmer Mike Keegan that ran annually from 2012 through 2014.
"That was so cool," Norris said in a recent interview. "Ever since then, we have wanted to collaborate with Gina. We never stopped looking for a project."
Added Keegan over email, "Gina is super sharp, savvy as hell and just plain fun to talk to. I've always thought she is the most exciting film programmer in the Bay Area — her mind just comes up with magic associations, thematic explorations and digressions."
Filmmaker Christine Choy. Photo: Roxie Theater
Basso earned her bachelor's degree in art history and her master's in art history and criticism at San Francisco State University. She knew she was destined to work in a museum but thought she would be working with painting, sculpture and video art. Then, in 2007 and 2008, Basso spent two seasons at what was then the San Francisco International Film Festival. Her job was coordinating volunteers, but the experience reignited her passion for film.
"I would talk to the programming team and ask how they did their job," Basso said. "Also, staff could bring home screeners … (I thought) Wow, this is blowing my mind. This tasteful curation of all of these films from around the world and getting exposed to directors I'd never heard of. I felt it was very connected to my childhood, of watching things on cable and getting different films from around the world.
"I'm in graduate school studying art history, and (I started) sneaking up and taking cinema studies classes during my summer sessions. My professors did not like that," she added.
Through contacts she made at the festival, Basso worked as an assistant director on a few independent films. For a while she contemplated making that a career before she began working at SFMOMA for Frank Smigiel, whom she regards as a mentor. Smigiel's job encompassed curating the film program and the museum's live events, talks, lectures and performances. As program associate, Basso was involved in all aspects of that, but Smigiel also gave her the opportunity to curate film.
Frank Smigiel, then of SFMOMA, and Stacie Pierce drop dessert parachutes to see how they will float down to Futurist Banquet participants in 2011. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle
"He was very focused on live performance and organizing talks," Basso said. "There were moments when he would kind of give the keys to the theater … I was able to suggest films, suggest some live cinema performances. I got to put my first film series together."
When Smigiel left SFMOMA in 2018, Basso asked to take over the film program. She had never advocated for herself before, but felt compelled to step up and make the program her own.
"It felt very empowering," Basso said. "I felt like I had kicked in the door and I said, 'Let's take the film program and really grow it and let's do it.'
"By that time, SFMOMA was in a partnership with SFFilm and I said, 'I just want to focus on film. I want to narrow the focus and help to grow film.' So, that's kind of where that began and in 2018, SFFilm pulled out of the partnership. That allowed me to shape the program and develop it."
The announcement that SFMOMA's film program was ending was greeted with protests from the Bay Area's cineastes, including pickets in front of the museum. While the outrage was over the loss of the program and not Basso's job, she appreciated the gesture.
Diane Amato, a longtime San Francisco resident, holds a sign protesting SFMOMA cuts to the film, artists gallery and open-space programs in 2021. "I am just appalled at the direction the SFMOMA is taking. Film is part of the fiber of the city. Without it, what are we doing? Not to mention taking money away from the artists gallery," Amato said. Photo: Marlena Sloss / Special to The Chronicle
"Just to see that passion and that collective outrage … was emotional sustenance," she said. "That made me feel good that OK, I chose the right profession. I was doing something that mattered to a lot of people outside the museum and who really liked it."
No matter what comes next, Basso is staying in San Francisco. She figures she will never have the type of job she had at SFMOMA again; there are just too few positions. But she plans to launch a podcast in the new year where she will converse with filmmakers, visual artists and musicians about the connections between personal growth and creativity. And she will continue to curate film programs.
"I'm going to take a moment now and think about another show that I want to do. I've got a few in mind," Basso said.
"Articulate Emotion: Documentaries by Christine Choy": Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 10-11. Conversation with Choy and Gina Basso after 1 p.m. screening Sunday. Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, SF. $5-$14. $44 pass includes four films plus "The Exiles," a documentary about Christine Choy. www.roxie.com
Pam Grady
Pam Grady Pam Grady is a Bay Area freelance writer
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I love the holidays—the scents of Fraser fir, the warmth of the fireplace, the memories that have been created throughout the holiday season, are all things that make this time of year so magical. Every Christmas season, it is a family tradition to get together with close friends and bake as many holiday treats as our hearts desire. From classic sugar cookies to ornate gingerbread houses, we spent hours expressing our creativity through decorated sugary concoctions. Even as adults today, we still get together around that same kitchen table, reminisce and uphold the Christmas tradition that was started so many years ago. I hope you, too, spend the holidays around a kitchen table! This gingerbread cutout recipe, with "cement" icing, is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. So grab your family, close friends, or even your neighbors, and have fun.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine 1½ cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and beat into the molasses mixture. Gradually add in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough.
Divide dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters or a knife. Place cutouts 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool completely.
While cookies are cooling, in a medium bowl sift together confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. Blend in egg whites. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat on high for 5 minutes, or until thick and stiff.


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text:
Sydney choked by hazardous haze from Australia bush fires
Sydney choked by hazardous haze from Australia bush fires /node/1596751/world
Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. (AP)
https://arab.news/bzhk9
City cancels ferries and some offices in the downtown area were evacuated
Winds expected to clear the air but also fan the brush fires
SYDNEY: Wildfires engulfed the Australian city of Sydney on Tuesday in haze so thick in some places it was 11 times worse than the level considered "hazardous," and was apt to trigger fire alarms.
The city canceled ferries and some offices in the downtown area were evacuated.
Local health officials advised people to stay indoors as much as possible and those with heart and lung problems were told to avoid all outdoor activity.
"The smoke here in Sydney is extremely bad today, it is some of the worst air quality we've seen," Richard Broome of New South Wales Health told reporters.
"We are just urging people once again to take these (conditions) seriously," Broome said.
Ambulances have been answering dozens of respiratory-related calls a day, said the head of NSW Ambulance, Brent Armitage.
Sydney Trains warned that fire alarms at train stations might be set off by the thick smoke drifting into the city from fires ringing Sydney.
The regional environmental department said the air quality index, or AQI, in some parts of the city was more than 11 times the 200 reading considered hazardous.
Given the dire air quality, workers should not be forced to toil on outdoor job sites while the haze persists, said Unions NSW's assistant secretary, Thomas Costa.
"Toxicity is very, very high," Costa said.
Winds were expected that could clear the air but also fan the brush fires, weather forecasts showed.
Topics: environment Pollution Sydeny Australia
Giant fire near Sydney may burn for weeks as people struggle to breathe
Sydney smoke crisis 'longest on record'
Blow to global vaccine drive as Pfizer delays deliveries /node/1793291/world
Pfizer said the modifications at the Puurs factory were necessary in order to ramp up its production capacity from mid-February of the vaccine
There will be "a significant increase" in deliveries in late February and March, the US group promised
BERLIN: A global coronavirus vaccine rollout suffered a major blow Friday as Pfizer said it would delay shipments of the jabs in the next three to four weeks due to works at its key plant in Belgium.
Pfizer said the modifications at the Puurs factory were necessary in order to ramp up its production capacity from mid-February of the vaccine developed with Germany's BioNTech.
There will be "a significant increase" in deliveries in late February and March, the US group promised. The European Commission also confirmed that promised doses for the first quarter will arrive within the period.
But European Union nations, which are desperately waiting for more doses to immunize their populations against the virus that has already claimed almost two million lives worldwide, expressed frustration.
Germany, the EU's biggest economy, voiced regret over the "last minute and unexpected" delay.
It urged the European Commission — which undertook joint procurement for the bloc — to "seek clarity and certainty" for upcoming shipments.
Six northern EU nations also warned in a letter to the Commission that the "unacceptable" situation "decreases the credibility of the vaccination process."
The letter signed by ministers from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden further asked the Commission to "demand a public explanation of the situation" from the pharmaceutical companies.
Across the Atlantic, Canada also said it was impacted by the delays, calling it "unfortunate."
"However, such delays and issues are to be expected when global supply chains are stretched well beyond their limits," said Canada's Procurement Minister Anita Anand.
Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine, which was developed at record-breaking speed, became the first to be approved for general use by a Western country on December 2 when Britain gave it the go ahead.
After Britain rolled out its immunization drive, the EU followed from December 27.
The latest shipment delay will likely add fuel to anger over the bloc's vaccination campaign, which has already been criticized for being too slow compared to the United States or former EU member Britain.
The European Commission has also been accused of not securing enough doses early enough.
Just last week, the EU struck a deal to double its supply of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine to 600 million doses.
The urgency of immunizing the population has grown over fears of virus variants first seen in South Africa and Britain, which officials warn are more infectious.
But vaccine makers had repeatedly warned that production capacity was limited.
While Pfizer is augmenting capacity at Puurs, its partner BioNTech on Friday secured authorization to begin production at Germany's Marburg.
The challenges of getting millions of vaccines around the world are also huge as the BioNTech/Pfizer jabs must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of about minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 Fahrenheit) before being shipped to distribution centers in specially-designed cool boxes filled with dry ice.
Once out of ultra-cold storage, the vaccine must be kept at two Celsius to eight Celsius to remain effective for up to five days.
Topics: Coronavirus Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine EU
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