text:
Linda Jones
From behind the veil: industry-level methodologies for disadvantaged communities in Pakistan
'Enterprise development' has evolved from the upgrading of individual businesses to the attempted advancement of entire industries using new approaches such as value chain development and making markets work for the poor. This change has resulted in an increased focus on macro-level issues such as enabling environments, trade agreements and national associations, and some policy makers question the relevance of programmes that target microenterprises. This paper presents the case of rural homebound women in Pakistan to illustrate that, although systemic analysis is essential to good programme design, projects that specifically target marginalized communities can produce significant results that would not be achievable through industry-level interventions alone. It provides an overview of MEDA's (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) work in Pakistan with sequestered women, a description of how the programme is attempting to integrate these homebound women into lucrative value chains, results of the programme to date, and conclusions relevant to the broader development industry.
'We may not be big, but we're small'
Vouchers revisited: can small enterprises save government programmes?
In Tanzania, where malaria is the biggest killer and pregnant women and small children are particularly at risk, the challenge of bringing insecticide- treated nets to poor, remote rural areas is a considerable one. This article describes how microenterprises and small businesses are providing a cost-effective retail service to the public sector, receiving their usual commercial mark-up as payment for this service. Vouchers are the vehicle of exchange throughout the system, enabling target clients to acquire nets, and providing the means for tracking the impact and outreach of the programme. As results are being monitored, there is evidence that not only is the public-private partnership a success, but that the commercial distribution of unsubsidized insecticide-treated nets has been strengthened and widened.
Gender inclusion in market systems programming
This paper examines gender inclusion and women's empowerment with a market systems lens. It draws on an earlier gender inclusion framework for market systems commissioned by the M4P Hub and published as a Springfield Paper in 2012 as well as an updated and expanded version of the framework published by the BEAM Exchange in 2016. This paper provides a brief background on the M4P context for gender inclusion, explores the evolution of intentional gender inclusion in economic market systems programming since 2008, outlines proven approaches to influence and facilitate private sector engagement, and describes supplementary time-bound approaches to promote and support inclusive market systems change that benefits women. It concludes with a set of guiding principles for inclusive market systems, presenting concepts that are fundamental to our understanding of gender inclusion.
Reducing borrower and lender risk in Tajikistan through context-sensitive product and portfolio design
How can MFIs be helped to move from mainly urban clients to smallholder farmers? This case study shows how sustainable financial services for rural households have been developed in Tajikistan. Since 2004, MEDA has been implementing a four-year $4.5 million CIDAfunded agricultural development programme that focuses on the horticulture subsector. A key component of the project is to partner with and develop the capacity of a local MFI (microfinance institution); and a $1 million agricultural loan fund has been made available for this purpose, along with technical assistance and temporary operational support. The primary technical challenges have been to assess the local context accurately and, based on the findings, assist the MFI to design appropriate products and develop a balanced portfolio to meet the needs of the borrower and lender, reducing the risk to both. Special attention has been paid to borrowers' sources of income and agricultural cycles. The disbursement and repayment of the $1m loan portfolio has been so successful that the MFI was able to cover operating costs of the portfolio from interest earned within 18 months and reported almost no default. Farmers continue to take loans, raise their incomes and seek out additional loan products. The context-sensitive design of products and the portfolio has enabled the MFI to expand successfully into rural lending. Building on this success, the MFI now manages microfinance funds of over $7 million and has become the leader in rural finance in Tajikistan over the past three years.
Conference report on 'Rural Finance Research: Moving results into policies and practice', FAO, Rome
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ford Foundation and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) jointly sponsored a conference on rural and agricultural finance (RAF) in Rome, Italy, 19-21 March 2007. The conference brought together leading experts in RAF from around the globe - researchers, practitioners, government representatives - to discuss the state of the art in RAF, to encourage collaboration, and to lay out the next steps for the further development of the industry. As indicated by the title of the conference, 'An International Conference on Rural Finance Research: Moving Results into Policies and Practice', the focus was on research and how to make it usable and relevant at various levels. The term 'research' spanned both academic/theoretical research as well as practical/action-oriented research, ensuring that a comprehensive perspective on learning and information sharing could be explored and advanced.
Reviews and resources
Incubators are unnecessary interventions that do not support business service markets
A 20/20 retrospective on enterprise development: in search of impact, scale and sustainability
This article traces the evolution of enterprise development theory and practice over the past 20 years and suggests what critical challenges this field will face over the next decade. The paper delineates four key stages (sometimes overlapping) in enterprise development - beyond credit, commercial service delivery, systems approaches and developing inclusive systems - and describes the main themes, challenges and learning of each stage. It then moves to a brief analysis of upcoming issues in the enterprise development industry.
Crossfire: The poorest cannot be helped by any of our current models of economic development from graduation approaches to market development
In our regular debate between two experts, Crossfire invites Ben Fowler and Linda Jones to argue the case surrounding including the poorest in our models of economic development.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo reviewed by Linda Jones
Strengthening women's economic empowerment within the M4P framework
The purpose of this article is to present the underpinning for a gendered approach to the M4P framework. It draws on a paper that was prepared for the M4P Hub, and presented and discussed at an M4P Hub Conference, an online conference hosted by SDC, and a two-day in-person seminar held by SDC in Bern in May 2012. This paper summarizes the conceptual findings of the published paper, provides field examples, and offers an approach for explicitly incorporating women's economic empowerment in the M4P framework. The paper first unpacks and then lays out common elements of the definition and guiding principles of women's economic empowerment, and assesses how M4P stacks up against these definitions and principles. The paper then explores the opportunities and challenges that are presented by a market-oriented perspective on women's empowerment, drawing on experiences of M4P programmes.
Editorial: Introducing changes to EDM
Editorial: Are collectives the key to change?
At the nexus of investment and development: lessons from a 60-year experiment in SME impact investing
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) was launched as an investment club in 1953 when a group of North American Mennonite business people joined together to support the development of communities in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. With their business background, this group of early 'impact investors' determined that they would provide loans to small to medium enterprises (SME) in order to catalyse sustainable economic growth. They offered the loans as high-risk venture capital and mitigated the risks with the provision of business coaching and technical assistance. Since those early days, MEDA and the SME investment fund managers which it has co-founded (Microvest and Sarona Asset Management) have continued to make impactful investments and to work towards a common development goal, 'to help people help themselves' (Fretz, 1978 : 19). This paper presents a case study of the 60-year 'MEDA experiment', (Fretz, 1978), describes specific activities and innovations, and identifies MEDA's learnings that have emerged from this SME investment experience.
Guest editorial: Poverty reduction in the FinTech age
In recent years, debates on microfinance have gravitated towards a discussion of financial inclusion and away from the role of microcredit in poverty reduction. A consensus has emerged that although microcredit may not reduce poverty, neither does it cause harm for the most part. At a minimum, access to microcredit gives people options for managing their financial lives, usually with greater predictability, privacy and dignity, while opening the door to other forms of financial service – certainly not something to be dismissed. But, now that financial inclusion (access to finance) is almost synonymous with the financial technologies (FinTech) that enable inclusion, is financial inclusion enough and what role does FinTech play?
Editorial: COVID-19 economic resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the gaping inequities in market systems the world over while it has exacerbated those inequities without mercy. As I write this editorial, my own sore recently injected arm reminds me that there is massive disparity even in access to vaccines among countries and within countries. And, as always, it is the most marginalized that carry the burden of suffering – vulnerable women, extreme poor households, informal workers, communities with minority status, people with disability, youth living on the edge.
Women's economic empowerment and COVID-19: the case of vulnerable women with intersectional identities in Indonesia and Vietnam
In recent decades, ASEAN has seen significant progress in gender equality and women's empowerment. However, advances have not been even and vulnerable women with a range of intersectional identities have not benefited to the same extent as more privileged women or their male counterparts. Moreover, despite ASEAN's much-lauded success in COVID-19 prevention and containment, the economic gains that had been achieved for women and girls are rapidly losing ground. Disruptions in the tourism sector, labour migration, and international trade have had a devastating economic impact on vulnerable populations, while innovations and new implementation approaches have provided some relief for low-income communities. This paper describes the COVID-19 economic fallout for women homeworkers and labour migrants engaged in informal jobs in Indonesia and low-income ethnic minority women in agriculture and tourism sectors in north-west Vietnam. It discusses early experiences and learning on pivoting projects, funded by the Government of Australia, to be COVID-19 responsive and contribute to longer-term recovery.
Exciting times for Enterprise Development and Microfinance (EDM) journal! Over the past two years, EDM has transitioned to a completely online publication and, as of January 2022, will be Open Source.
Editorial: A 'Just Transition'–a meaningful movement or rhetoric that has been co-opted for other purposes?
The phrase 'Just Transition' has roots in the 1990s American trade union movement, arising from the concern for workers' welfare with a transition out of fossil fuels; a transition that could leave workers jobless and without transferrable skills despite years of undertaking potentially hazardous work. The term was coined by one of the movement's leaders, Tony Mazzocchi, who fought for the guarantee that workers would not have to pay for clean air and water with their jobs, their living standards or their future (quoted in Nguyen, 2022). By 1997, the Just Transition Alliance was formed and continues today, with a key objective to shift toward 'a sustainable economy that does not compromise people and our environment, one that is driven by those at the frontline and on the fencelines of unsustainable production' (Just Transition Alliance, n.d.).


text:
'The Office' to Stream Exclusively on NBCUniversal Service Beginning in 2021
in Office Services
NBCUniversal announced Tuesday that it would begin streaming "The Office" solely on its standalone streaming carrier starting in 2021. The famous comedy series will depart Netflix once the present-day copes with NBCU expire at the give-up of 2020, the identical 12 months that NBCU plans to release its advert-supported streaming provider. All 9 seasons of the series will then be available on that carrier in the subsequent 12 months. According to a person with knowledge of the deal, multiple outlets bid on rights for the collection, along with Netflix. Per CNBC, Netflix presented $ninety million in keeping with 12 months to keep "The Office," with NBC upping the bid to $100 million consistent with yr for five years.
'The Office' has grown to be a staple of dad-subculture and is an unprecedented gem whose relevance maintains to grow at a time whilst lovers have greater enjoyment picks than ever earlier than," stated Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBCUniversal direct-to-purchaser and virtual establishments. "We can't wait to welcome the crowd from Dunder Mifflin to NBCUniversal's new streaming service.
Based on the British collection of the equal name, "The Office" presented a mockumentary fashion look at lifestyles within the fictional paper business enterprise Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The series debuted in 2005 and went directly to come to be a critical favorite, selecting up 42 Emmy nominations and 5 wins among many other awards over its run. It also helped release the careers of human beings like Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, and Mike Schur.
The information comes as more and more businesses are pulling their legacy content material off of streamers like Netflix to hold them on their personal branded streaming offerings. For instance, "Friends," which also currently streams on Netflix, will possibly be pulled onto the imminent WarnerMedia streaming carrier. WarnerMedia's Kevin Reilly formerly stated that he anticipated indicates like "Friends" to grow to be on the brand new service eventually.
You can assume that the crown jewels of Warner will, in the long run, end up on the brand new carrier," he said in February, adding that "sharing destination property like that… (is) no longer an excellent version. Similarly, following the purchase of 21st Century Fox, Disney introduced that its upcoming Disney Plus streaming provider would be the exclusive SVOD domestic of "The Simpsons," with all 30 seasons available at release.
Netflix stock plummets after huge subscriber leave out
IL&FS to sell office area in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Myggskärs fjärden är en fjärd i Finland.   Det ligger i landskapet Egentliga Finland, i den södra delen av landet,  km väster om huvudstaden Helsingfors.

Källor

Fjärdar i Egentliga Finland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Grant Anderson (born 13 September 1989) is an English rugby union who played for Northampton Saints in the Guinness Premiership.

He plays as a centre or wing.

References

External links
 Northampton Saints profile

1989 births
Living people
English rugby union players
Northampton Saints players
Rugby union centres
Rugby union wings


text:
Editorial: During a pandemic, Holy Week arrives via internet
By The Suffolk Times
Msgr. Joe Staudt of Sacred Heart Parish delivers Palm Sunday Mass over the internet.
Passover began Wednesday, April 8, with the first Seder, during which Jews tell the ancient story of the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. The second Seder was Thursday and the holiday ends April 16. Good Friday, the day of Jesus' state-sponsored execution, was Friday and today is Easter, when his tomb was found empty. These are enormously important religious holidays for the Jewish and Christian communities, going back thousands of years. In 2020, however, they will be celebrated by worshippers practicing self-quarantine at home while temples and churches are empty.
This year, Holy Week arrived in a time of pandemic. It is a plague not recounted in ancient texts but rather documented by daily death tolls posted on newspaper websites and repeated all day long on cable news. We hear about body bags being ordered in bulk; of loved ones barred from an ICU where a family member is dying, for fear of contamination; of refrigerated trailers parked behind city hospitals to store the dead; and of nurses and doctors desperate to keep people alive — and themselves free of contagion — without sufficient protective equipment to do the job safely.
In the face of a pandemic that is both viral and political, we can't seem to let go of the partisan vitriol. The side you favor is blameless and being treated unfairly; the side you loathe is made up of liars and cheats. There are even those who mocked the whole idea months ago when told this pandemic was coming and we should be prepared for it.
America will need some sort of fact-finding commission to get to the bottom of this, if only to help us prepare for the next one when it arrives. But perhaps this Holy Week, we can call a truce on the name-calling and insults and the pointless dog and pony shows before the television cameras and instead consider the real heroes in our communities and realize just how much we owe them.
They are the front lines of this war, putting themselves in grave danger every time they suit up and enter their workplaces. At the end of their shifts, they wash up, disinfect themselves and go home to their families. Truly, we can't thank them enough.
Many houses of worship have been live streaming sermons and prayer readings that congregants, or anyone else, can see on their laptops or other devices. That will continue this week. In the case of Sacred Heart Parish in Cutchogue, Monsignor Joe Staudt has been alone at the altar on Saturdays, doing the reading, giving his homily and then posting it on the parish website and Facebook.
Rabbi Michael Rascoe at Temple Israel in Riverhead has done his best to connect with the 70 or so families and individuals who make up his congregation. Many of them are older and are not familiar with Zoom and how to connect to it. So instead of remote community Seders on Wednesday and Thursday night, the rabbi will be at his home, with one other person — safely sitting six feet apart, of course. It will be just the two of them, unconnected to the outside world, retelling the Passover story of a people's flight to freedom.
"I am trying as best I can to connect with everyone," Rabbi Rascoe said. "On Friday night and Saturday morning I will send out a Zoom link and anyone can join it in if they want. We will need a quorum of at least 10, so I am hoping for more than that.
"And in this time we are living through, there will be plenty to talk about."
Email The Suffolk Times Email Created with Sketch. Email The Suffolk Times
01.16.2022	Editorials
Editorial: Gov. Hochul declares a 'new era' for New York
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wasn't long into her first "State of the State" address when she made it...
Editorial: 2022 will be a very big year for all of us
Jan. 6 is the one-year anniversary of the riot carried out by the followers of then-president Donald Trump. They...
Editorial: As year ends, COVID-19 just won't say goodbye
As 2021 comes to an end, a new and record-breaking wave of the virus we can't seem to get...
Editorial: As 2021 ends, debate over mask wearing grinds on
Confusion about new mask wearing measures to combat rising COVID-19 cases was rampant this week, with Gov. Kathy Hochul...
Editorial: We must honor our veterans
Russell Penny, who died Dec. 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was Suffolk County's first World...
Editorial: New town Trustees will have a lot on their plates
This month's global climate change summit in Glasgow, billed as the planet's "last, best hope," has come and gone....


iLibs allows to manage multiple iTunes libraries. You can create a Jazz library and a Rock library & synchronize your iPod with one of them according to your mood of the day. If there are several iPods but only one computer in the household, iLibs lets you manage each person's libraries without messing up the ones of the others. iLibs features multiple users, multiple libraries and multiple iPods with a dummy-proof interface. iTunes 8 ready!
...... After a couple of unwanted synchronizations of your iPod songs with the ones from other people's libraries, you probably ended up creating several Windows user accounts to keep your music and the one of your friends or family separated, which is long, complicated, unsafe and inconvenient.
With iLibs, you easily create and control more than one iTunes library, while logged in the same Windows account, on the same computer. Create different users and new libraries for each of them, either from scratch or from your existing libraries or the ones of another user.
iLibs is totally flexible while still absolutely safe!
Qweas is providing links to iLibs 2.25 as a courtesy, and makes no representations regarding iLibs or any other applications or any information related thereto.
Any questions, complaints or claims regarding this application iLibs 2.25 must be directed to the appropriate software vendor.
You may click the publisher link of iLibs on the top of this page to get more details about the vendor.


Nose: Smooth and sweet odour of vanilla with juniper berrie in the background.
Taste: Warm and spicy genvere with a soft taste of vanilla, honey and caramel.
Finish: Long and spicy with subtle freshness of juniper berries.
Braeckman's 10 years old single grain genever touches our senses. This genever solely consists of rye and malted barley. After a maturation period of 10 years on American first fill Bourbon barrels, our genever obtains its complex character with many different influences.


Yoko Takahashi returns with a new EVA mini album with a brand new song written exclusively for this release, Akaki Tsuki!
It includes also the three eternal classics from the hugely popular pachislot & CR machines!
Yoko Takahashi releases a new title / album.
the price for Takahashi Yoko Mini Album - Evangelion Extreme drops.
Takahashi Yoko Mini Album - Evangelion Extreme is available.
there are new images or links available for Takahashi Yoko Mini Album - Evangelion Extreme.


text:
Crimson Thunder četvrti je studijski album švedskog heavy/power metal sastava HammerFall. Album je objavljen 28. listopada 2002. godine, a objavila ga je diskografska kuća Nuclear Blast. Prvi je album na kojem surađuju s producentom Charlieom Bauerfeindom.

Popis pjesama

Osoblje
HammerFall
Joacim Cans – vokali
Oscar Dronjak – gitara, prateći vokali
Stefan Elmgren – gitara, prateći vokali
Magnus Rosén – bas-gitara
Anders Johansson – bubnjevi
Dodatni glazbenici
Mat Sinner – prateći vokali
Rolf Köhler – prateći vokali
Daniel Böhm – prateći vokali (na pjesmi 9)
Christoph Lutz – prateći vokali (na pjesmi 9)
Boris Matchin – čelo
Jens Johansson – klavijature
Mats Rendlert – prateći vokali
Martin Meyer – klavinet
Markus Wosgien – prateći vokali(na pjesmi 9)
Patrick Benzer – klavijature
Ostalo osoblje
Charlie Bauerfeind – produciranje, miksanje, inženjer zvuka, mastering
Samwise Didier – omot albuma
Thomas Ewerhard – dizajn
Michael Johansson – fotografija

Izvori

Albumi sastava HammerFall
Albumi iz 2002.


text:
The National Science Foundation's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program: Looking Back, Moving Forward (2007)
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. The National Science Foundation's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program: Looking Back, Moving Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11966.
The National Science Foundation's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program
LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD
MRSEC Impact Assessment Committee
Solid State Sciences Committee
Board on Physics and Astronomy
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Grant No. DMR-0446470 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-10961-2
Cover: An electric field can cause a polymer film to be unstable. If, in addition, the polymer does not stick to the surface of the underlying support, the polymer will withdraw from the surface, like water on a nonstick pan. These two factors produce an instability that can be seen with an optical microscope by the interference colors. The instability, in this case, has caused the formation of this unusual structure, since the electric field that was used was not uniform across the film. The fingerlike texture can be used to measure the properties of the polymer. Courtesy of T. Xu, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Copies of this report are available from the
National Academies Press,
500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area), http://www.nap.edu; and the Board on Physics and Astronomy, National Research Council, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001, http://www.national-academies.org/bpa.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
www.national-academies.org
MATTHEW V. TIRRELL,
University of California at Santa Barbara,
KRISTI S. ANSETH,
MEIGAN ARONSON,
Brookhaven National Laboratory
DAVID M. CEPERLEY,
PAUL M. CHAIKIN,
RONALD C. DAVIDSON,
DUANE B. DIMOS,
FRANCIS J. DiSALVO,
EDITH M. FLANIGEN,
UOP, Inc. (retired)
THOMAS F. KUECH,
DIANDRA L. LESLIE-PELECKY,
BRUCE H. MARGON,
University of California at Santa Cruz
ANDREW MILLIS,
VENKATESH NARAYANAMURTI,
RALPH G. NUZZO,
DOUGLAS D. OSHEROFF,
STUART PARKIN,
IBM Almaden Research Center
JULIA M. PHILLIPS,
LYLE H. SCHWARTZ,
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (retired)
ELI YABLONOVITCH,
NEIL E. PATON,
LiquidMetal Technologies,
DONALD C. SHAPERO, Director,
TIMOTHY I. MEYER, Senior Program Officer
DAVID B. LANG, Research Associate
VAN AN, Financial Associate
PETER F. GREEN,
University of Michigan,
BARBARA JONES,
IBM Almaden Research Center,
COLLIN L. BROHOLM,
ELBIO DAGOTTO,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee
JAMES P. EISENSTEIN,
SHARON C. GLOTZER,
MARC A. KASTNER,
STEVEN A. KIVELSON,
SIDNEY R. NAGEL,
MONICA OLVERA DE LA CRUZ,
ARTHUR P. RAMIREZ,
Lucent Technologies, Inc.
A. DOUGLAS STONE,
ANTOINETTE "TONI" TAYLOR,
NATALIA J. MELCER, Program Officer
CARYN J. KNUTSEN, Senior Program Assistant
ANNEILA L. SARGENT,
California Institute of Technology,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
JOANNA AIZENBERG,
JONATHAN A. BAGGER,
JAMES E. BRAU,
ANDREA M. GHEZ,
WICK C. HAXTON,
FRANCES HELLMAN,
JOSEPH HEZIR,
EOP Group, Inc.
ERICH P. IPPEN,
ALLAN H. MacDONALD,
CHRISTOPHER F. McKEE,
HOMER A. NEAL,
JOSE N. ONUCHIC,
University of California at San Diego
WILLIAM D. PHILLIPS,
THOMAS N. THEIS,
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
C. MEGAN URRY,
DONALD C. SHAPERO, Director
ROBERT L. RIEMER, Senior Program Officer
BRIAN D. DEWHURST, Senior Program Associate
SHARON FORETIA,
Anderson-Commonweal Intern (Summer 2007)
The MRSEC Impact Assessment Committee was convened by the National Research Council in response to an informal request from the National Science Foundation. Charged to examine the impact of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers program (MRSEC program) and to provide guidance for the future (see Appendix A), the committee included experts from across materials research as well as several from outside the field (see Appendix G for biographical sketches of the committee members).
The committee describes its analysis in this report at three different levels of detail in order to make the analysis accessible to the broadest possible audience. The Executive Summary provides a brief summary of the report. The Overview describes the complete chain of reasoning and includes all of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Chapters 1 through 6 then present detailed discussions and evidence.
In preparing its report, the committee found it necessary to distinguish among three types of key statements. All appear in boldface within this report but are to be distinguished as follows:
General finding: A nontrivial observation that, in the committee's judgment, arises from the evidence examined in the course of its work. These general findings express general principles that are not unique to the MRSEC program performance and impact assessment.
Conclusion: A nontrivial observation that the committee derived during
its work that pertains directly to the MRSEC program's performance and impact assessment.
Recommendation: An action item assigned to specific entities that the committee believes will enhance the future performance and impact of the MRSEC program for materials research.
The committee thanks its generous hosts at each of its site visits (Boston University, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, University of California at San Diego, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and University of Southern Mississippi); these half-day meetings were an invaluable data-gathering tool for the committee. The warm hospitality provided an environment for frank discussion and insightful suggestions that contributed to the committee's understanding of the issues. At each of its meetings, many invited experts gave testimony on their experiences working in materials research (see Appendix B). The committee greatly appreciates the time and effort that these individuals put into preparing their remarks.
The committee gratefully acknowledges the thoughtful and very helpful participation of the staff from the National Research Council's Board on Science Education, including Jean Moon, Andrew Shouse, and Yan Liu. These experts helped the committee to collect and analyze data on the education and outreach activities at Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers as well as understand the frontiers of research in science education.
Matthew V. Tirrell, Chair
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Elihu Abrahams, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
Paul A. Fleury, Yale University,
Jerry Gollub, Haverford College,
Fiona Goodchild, California NanoSystems Institute,
Arthur F. Hebard, University of Florida,
Joseph S. Hezir, EOP Group, Inc.,
Marc A. Kastner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Linda (Lee) J. Magid, University of Tennessee,
Christopher Monroe, University of Michigan,
Donald W. Murphy, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies,
N.P. Ong, Princeton University,
Thomas Russell, University of Massachusetts at Amherst,
Dan J. Thoma, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and
Julia R. Weertman, Northwestern University.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Donald M. Tennant, Cornell University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
The Landscape of Materials Research,
National Science Foundation,
Research Centers,
Looking Forward,
THE OVERALL CONTEXT OF THE MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTERS PROGRAM
Scientific Context,
Historical Context,
Budget Context,
International Context,
ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH AND FACILITIES IMPACT
Introduction,
Analysis of Selected Contributions from Materials Research,
Publication Citation Analyses,
Demographics of Research Performers,
The Leading Groups in Materials Research,
Research Impact Versus Funding: Quality per Dollar,
Shared Experimental Facilities,
Findings and Recommendations,
ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF MRSEC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Overview of MRSEC Education and Outreach Activities,
Impact of MRSEC Education and Outreach Programs,
ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF MRSEC COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY
Current Industrial Collaboration and Knowledge-Transfer Activities,
Assessing the Effectiveness of Industrial Collaboration,
THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION MATERIALS CENTERS
Perceived and Measured Impact of MRSECs,
Challenges Going Forward,
A New Look,
Outlook,
A Charge to the Committee
B Meeting Agendas
C List of Current Research Topics of MRSEC Interdisciplinary Research Groups
D Further Information on Education and Outreach Activities
E Selected Acronyms
F Data-Gathering Tools
G Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff
Next: Executive Summary »
The National Science Foundation's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program: Looking Back, Moving Forward Get This Book
Front Matter i–xiv
Overview 7–28
2 The Overall Context of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program 45–70
3 Assessment of Research and Facilities Impact 71–117
4 Assessment of the Impact of MRSEC Education and Outreach 118–142
5 Assessment of the Impact of MRSEC Collaboration with Industry 143–161
6 The Future of National Science Foundation Materials Centers 162–176
Appendix A Charge to the Committee 177–179
Appendix B Meeting Agendas 180–184
Appendix C List of Current Research Topics of MRSEC Interdisciplinary Research Groups 185–190
Appendix D Futher Information on Education and Outreach Activities 191–193
Appendix E Selected Acronyms 194–195
Appendix F Data-Gathering Tools 196–203
Appendix G Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff 204–212


Track how many people have seen your items and how well your promotions are doing.
When you view your promotion results, you'll see a graph of how many unique buyers have viewed your item over time.
Listing views are the unique views your item received from the original listing.
Promoted views shows how many additional unique views you gained from the item's promotional spot.
The graph will also let you know if your promotion is currently running and how many days are left, or if the item has sold.
Promotion results are based on promotions that have been initiated within the last 30 days. Only the most recent promotion for each item will be shown.
Tap Promotion results to see results for all of your promoted items. This link will be available if you have recent promotion statistics to view.
Tap Item performance. This link will be available if you have recent promotion statistics to view.


text:
package org.openforis.collect.earth.sampler.processor;

import org.openforis.collect.earth.sampler.model.SimplePlacemarkObject;
import org.opengis.referencing.operation.TransformException;

public class NfiFourCirclesGenerator extends NfiCirclesKmlGenerator {

	public NfiFourCirclesGenerator(String epsgCode, String hostAddress, String localPort, Integer innerPointSide,
			float distanceBetweenSamplePoints, float distanceBetweenPlots) {
		super(epsgCode, hostAddress, localPort, innerPointSide, distanceBetweenSamplePoints, distanceBetweenPlots);
		// TODO Auto-generated constructor stub
	}

	@Override
	protected String getKmlForTract(SimplePlacemarkObject placemark) throws TransformException {
		return getKmlForTract(placemark, true);
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
About MDFL
LECC/Training
Elder Justice Initiative
Environmental Justice and Public Health
Report a Civil Rights Violation
Middle District of Florida
Ukrainian Cyber Criminal Extradited For Decrypting The Credentials Of Thousands Of Computers Across The World And Selling Them On A Dark Web Website
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the extradition of Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev (28, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) in connection with charges of conspiracy, trafficking in unauthorized access devices, and trafficking in computer passwords. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ivanov-Tolpintsev that the United States intends to forfeit $82,648, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
Ivanov-Tolpintsev was taken into custody by Polish authorities in Korczowa, Poland, on October 3, 2020, and extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Poland. Ivanov-Tolpintsev was presented on September 7, 2021, before United States Magistrate Julie S. Sneed, and ordered detained pending trial.
According to the
, Ivanov-Tolpintsev controlled a "botnet," which is a network of computers infected with malware and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge. He used the botnet to conduct brute-force attacks designed to decrypt numerous computer login credentials simultaneously. During the course of the conspiracy, Ivanov-Tolpintsev stated that his botnet was capable of decrypting the login credentials of at least 2,000 computers every week. Ivanov-Tolpintsev then sold these login credentials on a dark web website that specialized in the purchase and sale of access to compromised computers. Once sold on this website, credentials were used to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity, including tax fraud and ransomware attacks.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The investigation was led by the Tampa Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation's Tampa Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations - Tampa Division. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. This investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation by the Polish National Police, the Polish Prosecutor's Office, and the Polish Ministry of Justice. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Indictment [PDF, ]
USAO - Florida, Middle
Missouri Man Arrested For Cyberstalking Multiple Victims
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Evan Stauffer (23, Missouri) with cyberstalking, making interstate threats, and making...
California Man Arrested For Stalking Multiple Victims
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Christopher Au-Young (35, California) with interstate stalking and cyberstalking. If convicted...
Tampa Man Sentenced To More Than 3 Years In Federal Prison For Cyberstalking
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Dominique Dragan (29, Tampa) to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release...
Tampa Office - (Headquarters):
400 North Tampa Street


FaCS is a valued close partner, sharing our mutual commitment to supporting vulnerable families in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and New South Wales.
We enjoy a close and valuable partnership with Barnardos, in supporting communities with our Park & Play programs in the Shellharbour region.
Our close collaboration with goodstart provides valuable key learning outcomes for children and families in preschool early learning programs.
The Hillview Child Care Centre staff work to collect gifts for our families at Christmas.
Anglicare provide Christmas Hampers to our families every year. The hampers include toys that have been donated by the public, and Woolworths/Coles gift vouchers.
Through our long standing connection with Relationships Australia (RA) today we embark on supporting our communities in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven through coordinated response to Domestic & Family Violence (DFV) and Mental Health needs.
We are very grateful for TransGrid's support of FSI 's Transition to School, Park & Play community program and Domestic Family Violence programs with critical security safety devices and monitoring.
Provide a large Christmas event where families are treated to gifts, fun activities and lunch. A much anticipated annual event!
Children attend a camp yearly and are then offered ongoing support and mentoring.
Provides some of our families with a Christmas lunch each year for families that may have difficulty providing this for their children.


text:
package com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.service;

import com.google.common.collect.Ordering;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.common.server.util.AgentLifeCycleState;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.dao.AgentInfoDao;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.dao.AgentLifeCycleDao;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.dao.ApplicationIndexDao;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.filter.agent.AgentEventFilter;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.AgentEvent;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.AgentInfo;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.AgentStatus;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.Application;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.ApplicationAgentHostList;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.ApplicationAgentList;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.Range;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.timeline.inspector.AgentEventTimeline;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.timeline.inspector.AgentEventTimelineBuilder;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.timeline.inspector.AgentStatusTimeline;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.timeline.inspector.InspectorTimeline;
import com.navercorp.pinpoint.web.vo.timeline.inspector.AgentStatusTimelineBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.collections.CollectionUtils;
import org.apache.commons.collections.PredicateUtils;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
import org.springframework.util.Assert;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.SortedMap;
import java.util.TreeMap;

/**
 * @author netspider
 * @author HyunGil Jeong
 */
@Service
public class AgentInfoServiceImpl implements AgentInfoService {

    private final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(this.getClass());

    @Autowired
    private AgentEventService agentEventService;

    @Autowired
    private ApplicationIndexDao applicationIndexDao;

    @Autowired
    private AgentInfoDao agentInfoDao;

    @Autowired
    private AgentLifeCycleDao agentLifeCycleDao;

    @Override
    public ApplicationAgentList getApplicationAgentList(ApplicationAgentList.Key key) {
        return this.getApplicationAgentList(key, System.currentTimeMillis());
    }

    @Override
    public ApplicationAgentList getApplicationAgentList(ApplicationAgentList.Key key, long timestamp) {
        ApplicationAgentList applicationAgentList = new ApplicationAgentList();
        List<Application> applications = applicationIndexDao.selectAllApplicationNames();
        for (Application application : applications) {
            applicationAgentList.merge(this.getApplicationAgentList(key, application.getName(), timestamp));
        }
        return applicationAgentList;
    }

    @Override
    public ApplicationAgentList getApplicationAgentList(ApplicationAgentList.Key key, String applicationName) {
        return this.getApplicationAgentList(key, applicationName, System.currentTimeMillis());
    }

    @Override
    public ApplicationAgentList getApplicationAgentList(ApplicationAgentList.Key applicationAgentListKey, String applicationName, long timestamp) {
        if (applicationName == null) {
            throw new NullPointerException("applicationName must not be null");
        }
        if (applicationAgentListKey == null) {
            throw new NullPointerException("applicationAgentListKey must not be null");
        }
        final List<String> agentIdList = this.applicationIndexDao.selectAgentIds(applicationName);
        if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
            logger.debug("agentIdList={}", agentIdList);
        }

        if (CollectionUtils.isEmpty(agentIdList)) {
            logger.debug("agentIdList is empty. applicationName={}", applicationName);
            return new ApplicationAgentList(new TreeMap<String, List<AgentInfo>>());
        }

        // key = hostname
        // value= list fo agentinfo
        SortedMap<String, List<AgentInfo>> result = new TreeMap<>();

        List<AgentInfo> agentInfos = this.agentInfoDao.getAgentInfos(agentIdList, timestamp);
        this.agentLifeCycleDao.populateAgentStatuses(agentInfos, timestamp);
        for (AgentInfo agentInfo : agentInfos) {
            if (agentInfo != null) {
                String hostname = applicationAgentListKey.getKey(agentInfo);

                if (result.containsKey(hostname)) {
                    result.get(hostname).add(agentInfo);
                } else {
                    List<AgentInfo> list = new ArrayList<>();
                    list.add(agentInfo);
                    result.put(hostname, list);
                }
            }
        }

        for (List<AgentInfo> agentInfoList : result.values()) {
            Collections.sort(agentInfoList, AgentInfo.AGENT_NAME_ASC_COMPARATOR);
        }

        logger.info("getApplicationAgentList={}", result);

        return new ApplicationAgentList(result);
    }

    @Override
    public ApplicationAgentHostList getApplicationAgentHostList(int offset, int limit) {
        if (offset <= 0 || limit <= 0) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Value must be greater than 0.");
        }

        List<String> applicationNameList = getApplicationNameList(applicationIndexDao.selectAllApplicationNames());
        if (offset > applicationNameList.size()) {
            return new ApplicationAgentHostList(offset, offset, applicationNameList.size());
        }

        long timeStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

        int startIndex = offset - 1;
        int endIndex = Math.min(startIndex + limit, applicationNameList.size());
        ApplicationAgentHostList applicationAgentHostList = new ApplicationAgentHostList(offset, endIndex, applicationNameList.size());
        for (int i = startIndex ; i < endIndex; i++) {
            String applicationName = applicationNameList.get(i);

            List<String> agentIds = this.applicationIndexDao.selectAgentIds(applicationName);
            List<AgentInfo> agentInfoList = this.agentInfoDao.getAgentInfos(agentIds, timeStamp);
            applicationAgentHostList.put(applicationName, agentInfoList);
        }
        return applicationAgentHostList;
    }

    private List<String> getApplicationNameList(List<Application> applications) {
        List<String> applicationNameList = new ArrayList<>(applications.size());
        for (Application application : applications) {
            if (!applicationNameList.contains(application.getName())) {
                applicationNameList.add(application.getName());
            }
        }

        Collections.sort(applicationNameList, Ordering.usingToString());
        return applicationNameList;
    }

    @Override
    public Set<AgentInfo> getAgentsByApplicationName(String applicationName, long timestamp) {
        Set<AgentInfo> agentInfos = this.getAgentsByApplicationNameWithoutStatus(applicationName, timestamp);
        this.agentLifeCycleDao.populateAgentStatuses(agentInfos, timestamp);
        return agentInfos;
    }

    @Override
    public Set<AgentInfo> getAgentsByApplicationNameWithoutStatus(String applicationName, long timestamp) {
        if (applicationName == null) {
            throw new NullPointerException("applicationName must not be null");
        }
        if (timestamp < 0) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("timestamp must not be less than 0");
        }

        List<String> agentIds = this.applicationIndexDao.selectAgentIds(applicationName);
        List<AgentInfo> agentInfos = this.agentInfoDao.getAgentInfos(agentIds, timestamp);
        CollectionUtils.filter(agentInfos, PredicateUtils.notNullPredicate());
        if (CollectionUtils.isEmpty(agentInfos)) {
            return Collections.emptySet();
        }
        return new HashSet<>(agentInfos);
    }

    @Override
    public Set<AgentInfo> getRecentAgentsByApplicationName(String applicationName, long timestamp, long timeDiff) {
        if (timeDiff > timestamp) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("timeDiff must not be greater than timestamp");
        }

        Set<AgentInfo> unfilteredAgentInfos = this.getAgentsByApplicationName(applicationName, timestamp);

        final long eventTimestampFloor = timestamp - timeDiff;

        Set<AgentInfo> filteredAgentInfos = new HashSet<>();
        for (AgentInfo agentInfo : unfilteredAgentInfos) {
            AgentStatus agentStatus = agentInfo.getStatus();
            if (AgentLifeCycleState.UNKNOWN == agentStatus.getState() || eventTimestampFloor <= agentStatus.getEventTimestamp()) {
                filteredAgentInfos.add(agentInfo);
            }
        }
        return filteredAgentInfos;
    }

    @Override
    public AgentInfo getAgentInfo(String agentId, long timestamp) {
        if (agentId == null) {
            throw new NullPointerException("agentId must not be null");
        }
        if (timestamp < 0) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("timestamp must not be less than 0");
        }
        AgentInfo agentInfo = this.agentInfoDao.getAgentInfo(agentId, timestamp);
        if (agentInfo != null) {
            this.agentLifeCycleDao.populateAgentStatus(agentInfo, timestamp);
        }
        return agentInfo;
    }

    @Override
    public AgentStatus getAgentStatus(String agentId, long timestamp) {
        if (agentId == null) {
            throw new NullPointerException("agentId must not be null");
        }
        if (timestamp < 0) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("timestamp must not be less than 0");
        }
        return this.agentLifeCycleDao.getAgentStatus(agentId, timestamp);
    }

    @Override
    public InspectorTimeline getAgentStatusTimeline(String agentId, Range range, int... excludeAgentEventTypeCodes) {
        Assert.notNull(agentId, "agentId must not be null");
        Assert.notNull(range, "range must not be null");

        AgentStatus initialStatus = getAgentStatus(agentId, range.getFrom());
        List<AgentEvent> agentEvents = agentEventService.getAgentEvents(agentId, range);

        AgentStatusTimelineBuilder agentStatusTimelinebuilder = new AgentStatusTimelineBuilder(range, initialStatus);
        agentStatusTimelinebuilder.from(agentEvents);
        AgentStatusTimeline agentStatusTimeline = agentStatusTimelinebuilder.build();

        AgentEventTimelineBuilder agentEventTimelineBuilder = new AgentEventTimelineBuilder(range);
        agentEventTimelineBuilder.from(agentEvents);
        agentEventTimelineBuilder.addFilter(new AgentEventFilter.ExcludeFilter(excludeAgentEventTypeCodes));
        AgentEventTimeline agentEventTimeline = agentEventTimelineBuilder.build();

        return new InspectorTimeline(agentStatusTimeline, agentEventTimeline);
    }
}


Chinese artist, documentary filmmaker, and critic, Ai Weiwei, is coming to CPH:DOX 2019 with his newest film 'The Rest' premiering in the festival's main competition.
The world renowned artist, critic, thinker, and filmmaker Ai Weiwei is coming to CPH:DOX 2019. On March 22 the festival presents the World Premiere of his latest film 'The Rest' with the presence of Ai Weiwei himself who will do a following talk about the major project and the refugee crisis in Europe.
Ai Weiwei's work has most recently been exhibited in Denmark in 2017 at Kunsthal Charlottenborg where he decorated the art centre's facade with 3500 life jackets worn by refugees and found on the Greek island of Lesbos. The year before, he chose to withdraw his expected exhibition Yu Yi at Aarhus Art Museum, ARoS, as a protest to the new Danish refugee regulations. When Ai Weiwei returns to Denmark in March it is once again with the European refugee crisis highest on the agenda.
Like his other work, 'The Rest' is an indignant defense of humanism and human dignity. The film documents the situation among many of the refugees who live in a political limbo in Europe, where the humanitarian system is overloaded, the media are exhausted and xenophobia is on the rise. Over 900 hours of footage has been edited down to an unsentimental, clear-sighted, and all the more gripping film with the individual human being in the lead role. And it is precisely in the individual's story that there turns out to be hope in the midst of hopelessness. 'The Rest' is a parallel work to Ai Weiwei's film 'Human Flow' from 2017, but the scale here is in line with the body, voice and experience of an individual refugee. The form is listening and attentive. The intricate chaos of various crises, which in the European public has been called 'the refugee crisis', has not blown over. 'The Rest' is a deeply human defence of the people who are still living in it.
Ai Weiwei was guest curator at CPH:DOX in 2013 but was unable to visit the festival due to travel ban posed by the chinese authorities.
'The Rest' is selected for the festival's main competition DOX:AWARD where it will have its World Premiere on March 22 at Imperial. Tickets are on sale!


text:
PAT-BURNS FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT
2017 honorary president
Mr. Stéphane Matteau
Former player of the New York Rangers and the Hull Olympiques
Please note that the 4th edition of our golf tournament, organized by the Tecumseh Golf Club, will take place on August 10th, 2018.
Mr. Charles Henry
Pat-Burns Foundation
The third edition of the Pat-Burns Foundation Golf Tournament took place on August 11th, under the honorary presidency of Mr. Stéphane Matteau, former player of the New York Rangers and the Hull Olympiques. This year, the event organized by the Tecumseh Golf Club welcomed more than 200 players and many players and public personalities from the hockey world.
During the evening, participants and collectors from the Outaouais region took part in a live auction and bid on exclusive items such as jerseys signed by NHL players, a New York Rangers package, a Los Angeles Kings and Lakers package with Luc Robitaille, a Philadelphia Flyers package with Claude Giroux and a Montreal Canadiens package. At the end of this eventful day, the members of the organizing committee proudly announced an amount of $42,000 was raised, which will help the Pat-Burns Foundation provide funding to coaches of any sport for training and equipment, and financial support to young athletes
Thank you to all those who, in one way or the other, contributed to the success of the golf tournament.
Players and public personalities present to the golf tournament :
Stéphane Matteau, former player of the New York Rangers
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ottawa Senators
Derick Brassard, Ottawa Senators
Yvon Lambert, former player of the Montreal Canadiens
Steve Penney, former player of the Montreal Candiens
Christian Matte, former player of the Colorado Avalanche
John Chabot, former player in the NHL
Michel Langevin, morning man at 91,9 Sports
Marc-André Perreault, TVA Sports journalist
Chantal Machabée, RDS journalist
Stéphane Leroux, RDS journalist
Eric Landry, Head Coach of the Gatineau Olympiques
Sam Lang, former player of the Hull Olympiques
Consult the 2016 edition
Thank you to our major sponsor
Summary of the day
BOURSES AUX ENTRAÎNEURS
DSC04311 - Copie


Discussion in 'Rifles, Bullets, Barrels & Ballistics' started by 4ked Horn, Mar 9, 2004.
Here are the pictures of my ¾" thick T1 gong after a fun Sunday shooting with Gonehuntingagain in the Idaho desert. We shot the gong as a terminus target mostly. It was set at 400 yards behind paper targets at 100, 200, and 300. I fired a .308 Win (165 gr sgk) out of a stock Rem VLS under a leupold 4.5 x 14 tactical w/ mil dot reticle mounted up with a custom tapered one piece base with integral rings made by Daryll Holland in Oregon.
Gonehuntingagain shot a .308 and a .300 win mag. I'll leave it to him to fill you in on the details.
My shooting wasn't the best but we had fun. The wind was 0 to 12 mph at full to half value.
The first picture is just the whole gong with the different splashes visible.
3.	Large impact with almost no splash = .300 @ 100 yards.
Picture #2 is just an edge view of the plate.
Picture #3 is a close up of the 3 types of impacts. The small ones were un measureable but could be felt with a finger. The medium impacts were about .010" at the deepest point which was the area around the center dot. (see next picture) The largest impacts measured .110" at the deepest point. The paint did not splash due to the raised edge of the crater deflecting the sideways blast of lead and copper.
Picture #4 Is the best example of a .300 impact at 400 yards with a 200 gr accubond.
Picture #5 Close up of crater. Notice that the straight edge is resting on the lip of the dish and not the flat part of the plate.
Picture #6 This is the back of the plate. The circular areas on the left are from the 100 yrd .300 win hits. They can be felt when you run your hand over them. The jackets on the right are the best ones we found. All I can say is, they are flatter than flat.
We also knocked the stuffing out of a bowling ball. It was hanging out at 400 with the gong. Once we felt good on the gong we went bowling.
Great and useful info thanks.
I'm still on a quest to get my 3/8th's inch AR500 but haven't ordered the stuff yet. Maybe I'll look into some 3/4 inch T1 too.
Where can ya order the steel from?
Go with AR400 over T1, it's much better. We just set up a stand and a piece of 1'x1'x3/4" T1 and the same with AR400 for the local range to do a comparison test before bying all the rest of the plates. I'm setting up another stand and 8 more plates of AR400 tomarrow. $1 per lb is what I paid, either type was the same, and that was cut out too. Everyone else in town wanted a $45 burn charge, plus $1 per lb.
1/2" = 20 lbs etc, so it's easy to figure the price. The burn charge is an hourly rate, and they can cut out what ever pattern you want for the same price.
The T1 had divots about .050" deep, cratered. The 6.5 WSM with 140 SMK's at 3150 was the worst, the 30-338 L with 200 Accubonds at 3140 was close to the same thing, still cratered. The 338 WSM with 300 SMK's at 2350 and the 300 WM with 180 BST's at 3150 were about the same, just a tad less than the 30-338 craters. All were shot at 300 yards.
The AR400 had scratches on it!, The 6.5 WSM with 140's at 3150 took maybe .010" of metal off, just enough to feel a concave in the steel, no crater or indication it was soft at 300 yards what so ever. I'm guessing 1/2" or even 3/8" AR400 may have reacted the same. The 3/4" may be over kill at 300 yards, even for the highest power rifles, save the 50 bmg.
1/2" T1 would be fine for 308 Win, even at 100 yards, been there on 3/8" and it worked fine but had a slight dimple on the back with one of the shots. The 300 WSM blew right through it, so I'd go 1/2" or just buy 3/8" AR400 and be done with it "for the 308".
AR500 would be sweet at 100 yards I'm guessing, but I don't shoot steel that close after the reports I've heard of flying jackets etc.
I've got some pix I'll post tomarrow too.
A local steel yard will have T1 and AR400 in sheets, it's used all the time. AR500 is a little less common "up here", and special ordering a 4'x8' sheet to get some from Seattle was way too spendy! Nobody had it up here... I'm glad I experimented with AR400. I was going to just get 1" thick stuff to be safe, but decided to try a couple 3/4" and also to compare the T1 and AR400 at the same time, then buy the rest.
Funny, every steel yard I talked to said I wouldn't need anything harder than T1, they even thought it might be more than I needed... Wrong! I'm glad I tried it.
The hardness is what you want.
You have to preheat the AR400 and 500 plate before you weld on it though, you can just burn on T1 without preheating. I was out of oqygen, and the propane torch heated it up just fine to weld the pipe on the top edge. 175 amps burns the 7018 into it good!
Brent--338 wsm with a 300smk at 3350fpps???
4ked Horn - as soon as we finish welding up that shooting table I think we need to go out and shoot the gong some more. We need to find another bowling ball for me to cut in half with the 300 again!
One thing that I think is a little odd is the copper jackets in picture #6 all had 1 edge that was not completely flattened on all jackets we found - the 1 edge still was curved forward. Does anyone have any ideas why?
Good eye! I edited it to read 2350, as it should have been.
I guess it'd have to have about a 60" barrel for that speed, eh?
Maybe impact angle... projectile doesn't strike the plate at a true 90 degrees. Compare jactets from short and long range and see if there is a noticable difference. Also could be from when they "splashed" onto the ground, "splash" hits pretty hard.
Quick note then off to work.
I can get T1 at a local fab shop for ten to 20 cents per pound (scrap). The head person at this fab shop told me that if someone claimed to shoot through 3/4 T1 plate with a .300 win mag that he wanted to see it. Well he was right.
I will post detail photos of the jackets this evening if all goes right.
The gong is hung from eye bolts screwed into the back at the top so it hangs with the top pitched forward (toward the shooter)so all shots are deflected more down than up. The splash digs a shallow trench in the ground along the plane of the gong.
Here are the 2 jackets we pictured earlier.
Back of 1. curled back at top.
Back of 2. curled FOREWARD?!? at top.
These are as high quality picture as I can make incase anyone wants to cpoy and enlarge them for better inspection.
The light over my head just came on!! I read what you posted about the reason why the jackets curled but it didn't click untill now.
Yes the jackets probably flattened then went skidding off the plate and sliced tward the ground where the edge bent one way or the other.


text:
Global Warming's Impact on Your Health
Tags: corona virus, health, healthy living, Mary Carpenter
FLU SYMPTOMS—fatigue, cough, aches and fever—these days create fears of the circulating coronavirus, particularly among travelers to China and northern Italy. But for travelers and those living in the West—or Mexico or South America—an increasingly likely diagnosis is Valley Fever, caused by a fungus carried by desert dust.
In fact, climate change may wreak its worst havoc on human health by way of airborne organisms, which are increasing with hotter, drier lands and warmer waters.
In drier regions of the country, Valley Fever has been on "a steady climb" over the past two decades—mostly in western states, including New Mexico, Texas and Nevada, with the highest numbers in Arizona and California, according to pulmonologist Michael Peterson at UCSF Fresno.
"It's hard to be a doctor in Fresno and not have to deal with Valley Fever," Peterson said. According to some predictions, "a warming climate will allow Valley Fever to expand throughout much of the western United States" by 2100. Even now, many people diagnosed with pneumonia in those regions may have Valley Fever, meaning many thousands more cases than official totals—15,611 in 2018, with more than half in California.
Besides flu-like symptoms, Valley Fever can cause a rash of painful red bumps on the lower legs, chest and back. The disease can resolve without treatment or can progress to a chronic form of pneumonia, most often in people with weakened immune systems.
The most serious outcome, disseminated coccidioidomycosis, causes nodules, ulcers and skin lesions throughout the body that are sometimes mistaken for cancer; painful joints; and meningitis, infecting membranes of the nervous system, including the brain.
Those most prone to develop serious infection are people of African-American and Filipino heritage, with African-Americans 10 times more likely and Filipinos 175 times compared to Caucasians—making susceptibility most likely genetic for these groups. Other populations at risk include those over 60 or with weakened immune systems, for example, living with HIV-AIDS.
"We actually know much less about fungal pathogens than we do about other types of microbial pathogens," explains UCSF microbiologist Anita Sil. Coccidioides immitis is a class of soil fungi that can shape-shift inside the host, in one phase growing larger than the immune cells that would normally destroy harmful microbes. "These fungi…become attuned to manipulating the human immune response and are really very good at surviving long-term in the human body," according to Sil.
Another airborne threat, smoke from worsening wildfires contains gases as well as particles from burning trees that can impair lung function and worsen chronic lung and heart disease. Despite advice to residents to stay indoors and use indoor air filters and, when outdoors, to wear medical-grade masks, health risks from smoke are difficult to avoid—even for those living many miles from the fires.
The EPA's "good air quality" upper limit for microscopic particulate pollution, called PM 2.5, is 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Particulate pollution after the Camp Fire in California last year rose to the "very unhealthy" level of 200—and levels in Bethesda, Maryland, on its worst day of 2019, rose to 38.
For those living or vacationing near oceans and lakes, red tides and blue-green algae blooms linked to global warming send toxins into the air that risk damaging the lungs, liver and nervous system. While Florida has had the worst outbreaks in recent years, blue-green algae has appeared in the Chesapeake Bay, New England and elsewhere.
Following last year's several months-long spike in blue-green algae levels in Florida, scientists detected cyanobacteria toxins (associated with liver cancer and neurogenerative diseases like Parkinson's) more than a mile inland, according to marine biologist Mike Parsons at Florida Gulf Coast University, interviewed for the video series "Protect Your Water."
"Makes you wonder if other waterborne pathogens can aerosolize, like PFAS, glyphosate, atrazine," says one of the video producers. "We know enteric bacteria does—you can smell it."
PFAS, fluorinated chemicals used in consumer products including fire-retardants and nonstick pans, may cause prenatal health issues, high cholesterol and immune system dysfunction. These chemicals have shown up in the drinking water of dozens of U.S. cities and are widespread in rainwater.
Glyphosate, the primary ingredient in the weed killer Roundup and linked to hormone disruption, has made its way into the majority of U.S. rivers and streams and appears in about 70% of rainfall samples. Atrazine is the more toxic herbicide ingredient that glyphosate was designed to replace.
Another airborne threat, microplastics—from tires, textiles and personal care products—have dispersed in oceans and snow from the Arctic to the Alps and can cause lesions in the respiratory system especially harmful to those with existing lung problems.
Efforts to reverse global warming with the hope of reducing air- and water-borne health risks often looks like one step forward followed by a giant step back. But spreading awareness about risky microorganisms, chemicals and microplastics can help with diagnosing specific health issues—and may boost motivation among individuals to play their part in combating climate change.
Every Tuesday, well-being editor Mary Carpenter delivers health news you can use
3 thoughts on "Global Warming's Impact on Your Health"
cynthia tilson says:
Mary, you hit it out of the ball park again, with this incredibly comprehensive synopsis of airborne hazards. Man made nature toxic during the industrial revolution. Man needs to take corrective action or perish. Time for another age of enlightenment.
May I circulate this?
Janet Kelly says:
I'm butting in here. Yes, please do!!
Lynn Kelley says:
Excellent articled which has made me aware of a variety of health hazards connected with global warming. Thank you.
« What We Want to Eat Now: 2.28.2020
What We Want to Wear Now: 3.03.2020 »


text:
Home Technologies American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) shares surges 1.18% in a week...
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) shares surges 1.18% in a week – but can it keep rising?
Eric Enderson
In recent trading session, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) saw 1,850,932 shares changing hands at last check today with its beta currently measuring 1.44. Company's recent per share price level of $23.36 trading at $0.37 or 1.61% at last check today assigns it a market valuation of $3.89 Billion. That most recent trading price of AEO's stock is at a discount of -1.37% from its 52-week high price of $23.68 and is indicating a premium of 72% from its 52-week low price of $6.54. Taking a look at company's average trading volume for last 10-days demonstrates a volume of 4.29 Million shares which gives us an average trading volume of 5.01 Million if we extend that period to 3-months.
For American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO), analysts' consensus is at an average recommendation of Overweight while assigning it a mean rating of 2.3. Splitting up the data highlights that, out of 15 analysts covering the stock, none rated the stock as a Sell while none recommended an Overweight rating for the stock. 7 suggested the stock as a Hold whereas 8 see the stock as a Buy. None analyst(s) advised it as an Underweight. The company is expected to be making an EPS of $0.29 in the current quarter.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) trade information
Upright in the green today for gaining 1.61%, in the last five days AEO remained trading in the green while hitting it's week-highest on Thursday, Jan 14 when the stock touched $23.68- price level, adding 1.18% to its value on the day. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.'s shares saw a change of 16.59% in year-to-date performance and have moved 5.5% in past 5-day. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) showed a performance of 22.26% in past 30-days. Number of shares sold short was 24.12 Million shares which calculate 4.81 days to cover the short interests.
Wall Street analysts have assigned a consensus price target of $21.13 to the stock, which implies targetted prices is already lagging behind -9.55% to its recent value today. Analysts have been projecting $17 as a low price target for the stock while placing it at a high target of $27. It follows that stock's price at last check today has to jump +15.58% in reaching the projected high whereas dropping to the targeted low would mean a loss of -27.23% for stock's latest value.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) estimates and forecasts
Statistics highlight that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is scoring comparatively lower than the scores of other players of the relevant industry. The company added +107.12% of value to its shares in past 6 months, showing an annual growth rate of -111.49% while that of industry is -8.8. Apart from that, the company came lowering its revenue forecast for fiscal year 2021. The company is estimating its revenue growth to decline by -21.6% in the current quarter and calculating 107.1% increase in the next quarter. This year revenue growth is estimated to drop -12.3% from the last financial year's standing.
13 industry analysts have given their estimates about the company's current quarter revenue by setting an average figure of $1.31 Billion for the same. And 8 analysts are in estimates of company making revenue of $802.8 Million in the next quarter that will end on April 01, 2021. Company posted $1.31 Billion and $634.26 Million of sales in current and next quarters respectively a year earlier. Analysts are expecting this quarter sales to drop by -0.4% while estimating it to be 26.6% for the next quarter.
Weighing up company's earnings over the past 5-year and in the next 5-year periods, we find the company posting an annual earnings growth rate of 19.7% during past 5 years. In 2021, company's earnings growth rate is likely to be around -23.9% while estimates for its earnings growth in next 5 years are of 0.77%
AEO Dividends
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is more likely to be releasing its next quarterly report between March 02 and March 08, 2021, and investors are confident in the company announcing better current-quarter dividends despite the fact that it has been facing issues arising out of mounting debt. With an annual yield of 2.4%, the share has a forward dividend of 0.55 which implies that company's dividend yield remained growing in trailing twelve months while having a 5 year average dividend yield of 3.15%.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)'s Major holders
Insiders are in possession of 6.98% of company's total shares while institution are holding 122.28% percent of that, with stock having share float percentage of 131.45%. Investors also watch the number of corporate investors in a company very closely, which is 396 institutions for American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. that are currently holding shares of the company. Blackrock Inc. is the top institutional holder at AEO for having 16.5 Million shares of worth $244.44 Million. And as of September 29, 2020, it was holding 9.93% of the company's outstanding shares.
The second largest institutional holder is Vanguard Group, Inc. (The), which was holding about 13.15 Million shares on September 29, 2020. The number of shares represents firm's hold over 7.92% of outstanding shares, having a total worth of $194.82 Million.
On the other hand, Vanguard Selected Value Fund and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund are the top two Mutual Funds which own company's shares. As of October 30, 2020, the former fund manager was holding 4889900 shares of worth $67.04 Million or 2.94% of the total outstanding shares. The later fund manager was in possession of 4.2 Million shares on September 29, 2020, making its stake of worth around $62.27 Million in the company or a holder of 2.53% of company's stock.
Even if you're not actively in crypto, you deserve to know what's actually going on…
AEO stock
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO)
NYSE:AEO
Previous articleHecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) Crashes -226.3% In 2021; Is It Attractive Enough At $5.84?
Next articleOil Rebound With Strongest Position Since Last
First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Fell -0.71% Year-To-Date, What Analysts Expect Next?
First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) shares surges 6.31% in a week – but can it keep rising?
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ:VTRS) Crashes -95% In 2021; Is It Attractive Enough At $17.1?
Is Chewy, Inc. (NYSE:CHWY), -5.4% away from high, Poised For A Strong Comeback?
Twitter, Inc. (NYSE:TWTR) 56.27% Above its 52-week Low, How Long Will it Keep Rising?
Is CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:CX), -0.31% away from high, Poised For A Strong Comeback?


text:
Grand Master Sam FS Chin
The Path Of I Liq Chuan®
The History of I Liq Chuan
Chin Lik Keong: Founder of I Liq Chuan
Ruey Chen
ILC Competition
Beginning of Zhong Xin Dao
Brief Biography of Ven. Jiru
Free Livestreams
GM Sam Chin
Licensed Instructors
Zhong Xin Dao Academic Program
The I Liq Chuan Poem
The Curriculum of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan (Levels 1-8)
Butterfly Form English Translation from Poetic Chinese Names
English Translations of 21-Form's Chinese Movement Names… with Video!
Kalama Suttra
I Liq Chuan Historical Interview Recorded in the "Compilation of Interviews from Famous Martial Arts Masters"
The Matrix of I Liq Chuan
Awakening and Harmonizing – The Art of Sam Chin
Finding The Center
Sifu Says
Neutral Point of Direct
GM Sam FS Chin's Talk At Lazarski University
One Point Approach
The Three Balances
Stillness & Clarity
Listening To The Point
flowing on neutral
CCTV Kung Fu Abroad I Liq Chuan Documentary
Subscribers Only Video
Licensed ILC Instructor's Only
Home / Wiki / I Liq Chuan Historical Interview Recorded in the "Compilation of Interviews from Famous Martial Arts Masters"
This chapter, "王春清校長與曾歷強師傅談意力拳 / Principal Wong Chun Ching and Sifu Chin Lik Keong Discuss I Liq Chuan" is from the book 武林名師專訪集 / Wu Lin Ming Shi Zhuan Fang Ji (Compilation of Interviews from Famous Martial Arts Masters), by 黄煜玲 / Wong, Yoke-Leng. Published: Petaling Selangor, 1979. pp-pp. 17-20.
(View a PDF of the original Chinese here.)
English Translators: Jeffrey Wong, Chen-dao Lin
In a recent year, our area (Malaysia) newly formed a martial arts association, named "I Liq Chuan Association"; this newly organized martial arts group is currently speeding up its activities. Under the promotions by a group of enthusiasts, it is plausible that given some time, branches will be set up in different places; then, it may become one of the most popular Chinese martial art systems.
What is I Liq Chuan? According to this association's Vice President Wong Chun Ching and Head Instructor Chin Lik Keong, and as its name suggests, this martial art is an expression of a combined utilization of one's mental awareness and physical strength, and is a type of internal martial arts style. This style of martial art shared close origins with Xing Yi Quan and Tai Ji Quan. Head Instructor Chin has learned from Master Lee Kim Chow and other Chinese martial arts. He then integrated the essence of various styles. He also formed the I Liq Chuan Association with a group of martial artists who shared the same goals and visions.
The VP of the association Wong Chun Ching is also a principal of an English school in Kampung Pandan Village in Malaysia, but he is very enthusiastic toward Chinese martial arts, and loves to study them as well. One of the association's training halls is located in his school's gymnasium. According to Mr. Wong, Lee Kim Chow studied under second generation disciple of Zhang San Feng [Translator's note by Jeff Wong: this has to be a mistake, or it's not possible because ZSF is probably from about 700 years ago if he even really existed.] So the art also shared some lineage with Wu Dang style. In related legends, during the Ching dynasty (1636-1911), residents from the Feng Yang area (mideastern China), some of them martial art experts, had to leave their hometown to make a living due to hardship and poverty there. Many of their methods of making a living included performing their arts in the streets, so at that time they were called the "nomad tribe", and have no specific style names, but some people also referred to them as "Feng Yang clan".
The "I" in I Liq Chuan is one's awareness in the brain, sent from hands' sense of touch to the brain, and uses such "Yi" to provide power, and then spread to each joint in the body.
Focus on Sticky Hands, Change Accordingly
Mr. Wong said I Liq Chuan emphasizes sticky-hands practices. The so-called "sticky hands" can also be called "push hands". The "I" in I Liq Chuan is one's awareness in the brain, sent from hands' sense of touch to the brain, and uses such "Yi" to provide power, and then spread to each joint in the body. So the awareness controls the usage of the force, and enables it to achieve accuracy. I Liq Chuan is based on one's natural abilities, and allows the practitioner to freely obtain development and can change according to the conditions. I Liq Chuan can defeat an opponent's defense, and can conquer the foe's strength. If you cannot grasp this art's principles, it is not easy to know the inner secrets.
I Liq Chuan does not have many forms. Most crucial is learning sticky hands. After having a good foundation, then one can learn the forms. The important forms include Butterfly Palms and Nine-Point Hand et cetera. A high level expert from the association, Liu Zhao Nan (Lau Siu Nam), performed in their training hall these two forms which aimed to develop one's internal power. The performer fully displayed the two forms' best qualities. These were must-learn forms for I Liq Chuan's power training.
The head instructor, Sifu Chin Lik Keong, said I Liq Chuan does not have fixed techniques, it is a style of freely developed martial art, but heavily focused on hip rotations, hand methods, and footwork, especially when both partners stuck their hands together. It is important to win with unorthodox attacks, using joint locks and throws to defeat the opponents. To control an opponent, one must cause the opponent to lose balance, then the hip and waist must be strong and have sufficient power, so that even with minimal movements can disturb opponent's balance. When the opponent loses support for balance, his punching or kicking will not be easy. So we say our martial art has no fixed techniques; most importantly, we must concentrate and be mindful, then it will be possible to change according to the situations to control the opponent.
Because the learning methods of I Liq Chuan have no fixed techniques, sticky hands training is most common, which starts from simple to complex, and that is where it differs from other martial arts' training methods. Other arts can practice the same particular technique in groups; I Liq Chuan can only be taught and learned individually. The student's talent and ability for comprehension are very important, because this art is formless, and depend on the person's awareness to utilize power. They do not focus on stagnant stances, but rely on frequent practices, gradually becoming familiar to the sensitivity on touch, then at the instant of contact with an opponent, one can naturally defeat motion with stillness.
Mind, Energy, and Power Unified as One
During a demonstration with Coach Chin and one of his students Heow Man Cheun (Hou Wan Quan/Jimmy Heow), they proved I Liq Chuan, although a formless art, but in application there is a certain method. His student Heow Man Cheun won the B group championship in the 1975 National Karate Open competition. According to him, he said he has only learned I Liq Chuan, and never learned Karate, yet during the competition he must obey Karate rules to win points. He believes I Liq Chuan is best for use in joint locks. If gloves were not required, it would have been more convenient to apply various hand techniques.
I Liq Chuan sticky hands and Tai Chi's push-hands both focus on the path of the power on the hands. Sticky-hands is also called "Jip Sao" or Receiving (or Connecting) Hands. In this martial art, as soon as the opponent moves, there is an opportunity to connect, then find an opening or weakness by which to control the opponent. If the opponent tries to strike first, I Liq Chuan's hand will not give the opponent any way to punch, then this affords the opportunity to connect with opponent's hands. I Liq Chuan often maintains physical balance points, because the body must maintain balance to allow punching and kicking with power. But in order to not lose center of mass during movements, it will rely on mental and physical control and balance, while the stance requires "a bow in the front, and an arrow on the back." This must rely on expanding the chest and folding the stomach, unifying the mind, energy, awareness, and strength as one, to attack and defend freely, all while the extremities change without stoppage. So the power is in the wrists, and then energy is at the finger tips. The movements are natural, but the mind is still, and breathing is comfortable; all the extremities can move agilely to defeat the opponent by taking advantage of the foe's unreadiness. I Liq Chuan moves with the entire body in a balanced manner, expressing an inward attention and creating an outward power. The power is born from attention. The agility of the extremities depend on whether the mindfulness is swift. When the mind, energy, and power are unified, the movements are free.
Since I Liq Chuan (意力拳) and TaiJiQuan appear probably to share similar origins, practicing I Liq Chuan requires the internalization of thoughts and concentration of the mind. Practicing "I/Yi" (意) will provide good training for the brain as well as promote agility and nimbleness of the central nervous system. Improving these abilities will sharpen adaptability to different environments. The goal is to respond to changes at will upon contact and be able to manifest power or "Li" (力) through energy or "Jin"( 勁). Therefore, "Yi" and "Li" complement each other. When training reaches a certain level, it is possible to cultivate superior qualities of perseverance, durability, sensitivity, calmness, and concentration in the practitioner.
During the I Liq Chuan demonstrations, one can observe that this style emphasizes stillness within movements as well as movement within stillness, at times using "Yi" and not "Li", which is like transforming from "WuJi" to "TaiJi". Since there are no fixed moves in sticky hands and the practice's main aim is to control the opponent's center of gravity, it is most important to use "Yi" to manifest "Li". The key to achieve an excellent level of internal energy is through each individual's own dedicated practice; it takes hard work to be able to unify one's own body parts and movement. Beginners may feel that there are not that many variations in these movements; that is because the practitioner has not fully grasped the intricacies. Over time with in-depth studies, one may understand the subtleties and be able to use "Yi" to manifest "Li".
The characteristics of Chinese internal martial arts are all quite similar in nature; TaiJiQuan, XingYiQuan, BaGuaQuan, DaChengQuan (Yi Quan) and I Liq Chuan are fundamentally alike in the deployment of "Jin" and utilization of "Yi". Therefore, many Chinese martial arts enthusiasts cross-train other styles. These martial arts pay great attention to the coordination of hands, eyes, body and movements. I Liq Chuan pays particular attention to the deployment of "Qi" (氣) and posture of the body during sticky hand practices. This is the same concept as TaiJiQuan's classic phrase "suspend the crown" and "tuck in the chest and raise the back". The "I/Yi" in I Liq Chuan incorporates thoughts, awareness, and mind. I Liq Chuan emphasizes the ability to fully "utilize Yi"; therefore, when deploying "Yi" correctly, "Li" is moved at will without obstruction.
At a higher level, I Liq Chuan is all about "Yi", not physical movements, the true return to simplicity.
Softness can Overcome Hardness; Hardness and Softness Check and Balance Each Other
Mr. Wong Chun Ching says that I Liq Chuan's practice focuses on "Yi"; it uses "Yi" to harness "Li", transforms "Li" to "Jin", overcomes hardness with softness, with complements of softness and hardness. This art practices sticky hands primarily. The sticky hands practice stabilizes stances and therefore practitioners cannot be easily moved. This includes the circular and spherical movement of hands and body, looseness in motions, and utilizing the skin's sensation to practice "Yi". The result will be the unification of mind "Yi" and body to be adaptable in any situation.
He also says training various parts of the body to use circular motions to deflect on-coming force and affect the opponent's center of gravity is key to the practice. Combine this with concentrating in order to achieve the "know thyself and know thy enemy" level. As for the cultivation of "Jin", it comes from the continuous spiral rotation of all the joints: fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, waist, hip, knees and ankles to produce the internal "Jin". From loose evolve to the mindful suppleness, eliminate the original rigidity and hardness; then a new force, "Jin", is cultivated. Though, be aware that there are localized "Jin" and the systemic "Jin".
He continues to explain that I Liq Chuan's movements pay particular attention to the precision of spacing, timing, and angles. Small discrepancies may lead to large errors. Being able to combine concentration of the mind and the skillful usage of "Jin" is the key to attain all the practical functions of stick, jam, lead, extract, release, seize, lock, kick, strike, throw… etc. At a higher level, I Liq Chuan is all about "Yi", not physical movements, the true return to simplicity.
I Liq Chuan is an internal style. All internal styles emphasize some form of sticky hands practice. Sticky hands exemplifies much of the internal style's strengths and merits. Sticky hands is similar to TaiJi's push hands, and is a type of training in Chinese martial arts that integrates many practical applications including kicking, striking, throwing, and grappling. When applied in practice, it is highly effective in nullifying opponents.
Previous post: The Curriculum of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan (Levels 1-8)
Next post: Our Response To COVID-19 & Social Distancing
Workshop Fees
Academic Progam
Polish Language Online Class w Joshua Craig
Polish Language Classes - Instructor Dima Siomov
Russian Language Online Classes with Instructor Marina Gubnitskaya
English Language AM Online Class w Joshua Craig
Free Live Streams
Hsin Chin
Student Members Only Area
Instructors Resources
How To Download My Files?
© ZHONG XIN DAO 2021
Our DVDs are OUT OF STOCK. Please consider buying the same title as an MP4 download. Due to recent changes, international customers should be prepared to pay a duty fee to receive their orders from their customs departments. Dismiss


text:
Time is a construct
Indie RPG Cris Tales weaponizes time travel like Chrono Trigger never could
Make time your strongest weapon.
Just Lunning
Cris Tales may be the most innovative time-travel game since Chrono Trigger.
Time travel is a fairly common video game trope. Jak II, Sonic Generations, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, and a number of other games use time travel as a narrative framing device. Once that narrative frame has been established, games often stow time travel elements away, shifting focus towards telling an otherwise standard story.
That's not the case in Cris Tales, which bakes time into every aspect of the game.
Time travel isn't just a narrative framing device in Cris Tales; It's an integral component to exploration and combat that you can't possibly forget about. Every interaction can be affected by time travel. The main character, Crisbell, is a time mage, so her perspective defines what the player sees.
Crisbell is on a quest to stop an evil empress from destroying all five kingdoms. While roaming the world, your screen is constantly divided into three sections. The leftmost side is the past, the rightmost side is the future, while the center is the present. You'll usually walk around in the present, while the past and future sides act as windows to what your actions have caused. Both the past and future can be changed in real-time as you complete tasks.
Three distinct time periods. Modus Games
You can also interact with both to gain key items. In the demo, a character said it would take nearly a decade to complete development on a tool Crisbell needed to continue the story. With no time to wait, Crisbell traveled to the future and rummaged through that character's belongings to obtain the necessary item. When playing Cris Tales, you can never forget how integral time travel is to gameplay.
Like many RPGs, Cris Tales uses a turn-based combat system. Assisted by a party of medieval-style combatants — complete with swords, shields, scythes, and time travel — Crisbell can shroud areas of any combat arena in time travel magic. This can force your foes to instantly become old and frail, making defeating you impossible. Conversely, it could make an enemy far younger, removing any combat potential.
Whenever time magic is cast, the battlefield feels dynamic. Having the ability to alter your foes' physiology on a whim is exciting in a way that status effects rarely are in a role-playing game.
Casting time magic isn't always a boon either. Do it to the wrong foe, and you could inadvertently make them far stronger than before, perhaps putting them back into their prime. The precarious nature of this makes it even more alluring as a gameplay mechanic. While other stories throw time travel aside once they've gotten their setup, Cris Tales will always remind you of the insurmountable power time holds.
Combat using timelines. Modus Games
While Cris Tales' time travel system is more than enough to distinguish it from most games released in the last five years, Cris Tales also excels in art and worldbuilding that both reinforce themes about time. It painstakingly apes the fairy tale aesthetic seen in storybooks and Disney films like Sleeping Beauty. If you've ever watched the 1959 Disney classic, you'll know that the film takes place in a medieval kingdom. Characters move with the rigidness of a medieval tapestry, and ideas about good and evil often seem black and white.
Cris Tales gives everything a bright sheen while throwing in bubbly character designs for good measure. Characters look like they could've been ripped right from a children's book, complete with thick hair, ginormous eyes, and a tacit optimism found often in every fairy tale. Like many of Disney's best stories, Cris Tales is accessible to everyone even if it may look designed for children.
During Crisbell's kingdom-hopping journey, she helps various humble peasants and strange creatures – one day, it's a local activist. On another day, she assists a talking frog, who could easily be a nod to Glenn, a talking frog party member in Chrono Trigger.
Even with the medieval setting, every character has very contemporary problems. In a less skillfully crafted game, this could be jarring. You could easily ask yourself why there's an activist in a medieval world? But you don't. Every citizen feels real enough to exist in that era while staying relatable. The magic of the game isn't time travel, it's that Cris Tales toes the line between adulthood and childishness just right, making it one of our most anticipated games of 2020.
Cris Tales will be released for consoles and PC on November 17.